


A Single Change

by RikuKingdomHearts3, tmart_x13



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Injury, Brotherly Fluff, Cloud with mako poisoning but different, Fluff and Angst, Future ships to be added when necessary, Gen, Major Character Injury, Minor Violence, Protective Zack Fair, Zack Fair & Cloud Strife Friendship, Zack Lives, mako poisoning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-02-13 12:28:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 124,905
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21494305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikuKingdomHearts3/pseuds/RikuKingdomHearts3, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmart_x13/pseuds/tmart_x13
Summary: What if Cloud's condition after the mako experiment was different? If he wasn't completely catatonic, how would things go? The mako still has an affect on his mind and... not in good way... It makes things a bit of a challenge, but now a more conscious Cloud will make his way along side Zack as they try to journey to Midgar.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Comments: 58
Kudos: 211





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So while waiting to update other stories, why not load up another one from my FF.net page. Lol I have so many. 
> 
> Either way this is an idea I came up with my my co-author tmart.x13 (he only has a FF account)
> 
> But anyways we hope you enjoy this story idea.

Zack opened his eyes to see that he was in the Shinra mansion and apparently alone. It looked as though he was in some sort of lab, but he seemed to be confined in a tight space. He remembered having been there before, but there was something that just seemed off. He closed his eyes to try and think about things. Then, he heard a familiar voice talking to him.

"You call yourself SOLDIER?"

Zack blinked again, and his eyes settled on a familiar person standing in front of him. Angeal.

"You tarnish the SOLDIER name," Angeal spoke harshly as he finished what he was saying.

Zack was shocked at the words that he had heard. He could not believe that Angeal would mutter words like that. He tried to speak but the only thing that happened was he heard a muffled sound coming from him. Then, he saw Angeal turn around and fly off.

Zack reached out his hand. "Angeal, wait!"

Everything went black suddenly. Zack then found himself standing in what appeared to be some kind of outside area. He was standing on top of water so clear that you could see straight through it. There were solid white clouds of various sizes all around him. Suddenly, a white feather floated down in front of him. He watched it closely as it gently swayed back and forth before finally landing softly on the water, creating ripples from where it had landed. He then looked toward the sky from whence the feather came. "Those wings... I want them too."

He wanted to be free. He felt like he was boxed in and it felt as though things were ready to break. Finally, he heard glass shatter as he fell forward with water rushing out all around him.

It appeared that he had been in some sort of tank with machines hooked up to him. It reminded him of the experiments he underwent when he first became SOLDIER. He wasn't sure what was going on now but he knew that he had to get out of there. After he was able to gain some composure, he realized that Angeal was gone. He began to think that maybe it had all been an illusion, which was probably true.

Then, he finally stammered to his feet, and there was some scientist standing in front of him. Zack moved as quickly as he could, and drew back his hand and knocked the man to the ground. Afterwords, he then tried to start looking around and finally fixated on another familiar sight. He saw Cloud in one of the same tanks. He knew that he had to get him out of there as he made his way over to his friend.

Zack started to beat on the glass at first, until he finally found a switch. He pressed the switch and it started to release all of the water that was in the tube. Once the water was all gone, the container opened and Cloud spilled out from the chamber. Zack was ready though as he caught Cloud in his arms. With Cloud now laying against his rest, he tried to see if he could get Cloud to wake.

"Cloud..." Zack said sullenly, as he looked upon the limp body of his best friend.

Cloud didn't move or response, he just rested limp in Zack's arms. There was a brief moment of panic ready to rise in Zack, but he saw Cloud's chest slowly rise and fall. Zack waited a moment more before Cloud moaned and stirred slightly. After a moment he opened his eyes and slowly looked up at Zack. His mouth opened and seemed to move a little, but no words came out.

"It's all right Cloud, you don't have to say anything right now. At least I know you're awake. Don't worry, I'll get us out of here," Zack reassured him as he shined with confidence.

Zack then put his arm around Cloud's neck, and threw Cloud's arm around his. He wanted to slowly lift Cloud up but he was still a bit dazed from getting out of the tank himself. He knew that he needed to try and get Cloud to be somewhat conscious so they could make there way out. But first, he had to find something that he needed. It had to be around here somewhere. He sat Cloud down for a moment while he walked off to search around the lab.

After a few minutes of looking, Zack found this large, long container on the floor. He kicked it open, and a smile crossed his face as he gazed upon what was inside. It was the buster sword, and he was glad that it was not lost. It was the only memento he had of Angeal, and a symbol of his honor. At least it looked to be mostly clean. He then thought internally about the sword maintenance that Angeal always talked about as he chuckled about it for a moment. He then grabbed the sword from the box along with his holster, then he attached the holster to him and placed the sword inside of it.

Zack then walked back over to Cloud to see if he could get him to wake up. "Hey Cloud. I know you're feeling weak right now, but can you stand?" Zack questioned him carefully as he waited and hoped for a response.

Cloud stared at Zack with wide eyes for a moment. Seeming almost unresponsive at first as he just blinked a few times. But he soon slowly nodded his head. He seemed to mouth something, but there was still no words that came out. Slowly Cloud pushed himself up to his knees and then proceeded to stand all the way back up. Zack then also stood up after Cloud, feeling a little stronger in his legs than before.

The two of them started to walk when Cloud staggered to the side slightly. A second later he staggered back and nearly fell forward. Before he did though, he managed to grab on to Zack for support.

Zack felt the motion of Cloud grabbing onto him as he planted his feet firmly to brace for his body weight bearing down on him. Zack then reached his arm around Cloud once again.

"Okay, maybe you're not able to walk on your own just yet, but you're getting there. Just use me as support. We will manage," Zack lightheartedly replied, showing no signs of frustration or worry.

As they began walking, Zack paused for a brief moment at the table in the center of the room. He glanced at some papers laying there to see if he could find any information about what was going on there. Upon looking, he saw two reports. One of them appeared to be for him, as it was labeled SOLDIER 1st class, and the other appeared to be for Cloud as it stated a Shinra infantryman. It seemed that both were deemed failures in some experiment, but for different reasons. It appeared they were part of some new experiments with mako energy.

"Oh so that's what happened apparently. We were...test subjects? Well this is great… Not to mention, if it was mako tests then it looks like it has affected you Cloud. But you should recover soon. We need to get going quickly then," Zack finished speaking out loud to himself, since Cloud most likely would not know what he was saying.

Zack then started to move again, helping Cloud along with him as they moved toward the exit.

* * *

After they were out of the lab, they found themselves in a network of caves, apparently below Shinra Manor. Zack stopped for a moment to see if he could figure which way they needed to go to get back to the actual house so they could find a room to rest. Zack figured that he would just have to try every way until he found the right one, though he knew that would also take a long time.

As Zack made his way down the first passageway, he encountered some small monsters there. They didn't appear to be any major threat, which was a good thing with the state the two of them were in. After letting go of Cloud and telling him to go and rest, Zack proceeded to then dispatch of the monsters very quickly. This same process went on for a while until finally, they were able to make it back up into a main area of the house and to a room to rest.

Zack walked Cloud over to the bed and sat him down on it as he sat down beside Cloud so the two of them would be able to rest slightly. Cloud just sat there, staring down at the floor as Zack laid back on the bed, relieved to finally have a tiny bit of comfort after everything that had occurred. Though, his mind weighed heavy with some more somber thoughts as well.

"Hey Cloud. Sorry, about getting you involved in all of this. This wasn't your battle. But I'll make sure nothing happens to you again," Zack said blankly to Cloud, who was still just staring at the ground without having moved at all. Though Zack thought he noticed that Cloud was nodding his head again in response.

Zack sat back upright on the bed and put his arm around Cloud to try to make him feel a bit more at ease about the situation. His clothes were still damp from being inside the mako containment tube. He took his hand out from around Cloud and then stood up firmly.

"All right. We need to get out of here, so I'm going to go to clear the way. You can come along if you felt like it, but it might be best if you stay here for now. Don't go anywhere Cloud," Zack finished saying as he turned around and headed out the door into the rest of the manor.

Zack then left out of the room, but made sure to firmly shut the door behind him. He knew that there seemed to be many creatures in the mansion, though he wasn't quite sure why. Something awful must have been happening all of this time. Either way, he had to make sure things were clear so that it would be easy to get Cloud out safely. Zack ventured all through the manor now, taking out every creature that he had run across. After quite some time, he finally seemed to have dispatched of the last of the monsters there. Though, he was a bit tired now.

"Wow that actually took longer than I expected. But creatures like that are no problem for me. Better get back to Cloud now so that we can get out of here," Zack said aloud to himself as he made his way back to the room that he had left Cloud in.

Zack made his way back to the room fairly quickly as he checked around the door to make sure there was nothing going on, and then he entered into the room. He saw Cloud was still sitting on the bed, exactly in the same position as he had left him. At least now they could finally get out of that mansion. Zack then walked over to Cloud and stood in front of him as he placed a hand on his head.

"I'm back now and everything is clear. Ready to go now?" he questioned Cloud, hoping for a response.

Cloud lifted up his head to look at Zack. It took about a minute, but Cloud nodded again. Once again his mouth moved slightly, but just as before he never ended up saying anything.

Zack just nodded slightly back at Cloud as he went around to his side and helped to lift him up. After they were on their feet, they proceeded to walk out of the room and traverse the large manor to get to the front gate to finally be out of there. The two of them walked in silence for quite some time, as it took longer to help Cloud down stairs and even just walk normally to places. After many minutes had passed, they finally exited the manor and made their way to the front gate, where Zack rested Cloud against the gated area.

"So Cloud, I'm not sure if there are any enemies up ahead or not, but I need to check. Are you just going to stay here for now? I wanna make sure."

Cloud tilted his head to the side for a moment, as if he was wanting to question Zack. He tried to stand up, but it was obvious he was still weak. He dropped back to the ground after the failed attempt. He let out an exhale before he lowered his head a bit and nodded.

Zack sighed as he had seen Cloud trying to stand, and hoped that he would be able to, but he would still need some time. Zack turned around and walked away from the mansion down the mountain path towards the town to clear the way.

"I'll be back. Don't run off now," he yelled as he walked away, chuckling to himself slightly.

He encountered several of the same monsters like he had faced in the manor, but none of them were a threat to him as he took them all out pretty swiftly. There didn't seem to be too many of them though, as he then began to head back after what seemed like only a few minutes. He arrived back to Cloud, who was actually trying to stand again. Zack rushed over to him and put his shoulder under him for support so that Cloud would not slump back down.

"Woah woah, easy now Cloud. You've gotta just give this some time. I've got you. I'm glad that you're making some progress though. Let's go now," Zack said to him as he began to walk with Cloud towards the town.

Along the way, Cloud started to walk a bit more and didn't drag his feet as much or stumble. After a little bit, he stopped walking and held up his hand, trying to get Zack's attention. He still wasn't saying anything, but Zack clearly could understand what Cloud wanted to say by the expression in his face.

Zack stopped walking with Cloud now and kept his eyes focused on him as he saw Cloud take his arm away and try to stand on his own. It seemed that Cloud had some strength regained to be able to do that, and Zack was happy with him now. Not only was Cloud seeming to get better, but this would also relieve some pressure from him having to tote him around. He did not mind helping his friend, but now the journey would hopefully be faster. The two of them then continued to walk toward the town slowly, with Zack keeping a close eye on Cloud.

Cloud was walking much better now than he had before, and he was able to keep on walking by himself. Though while he was walking fine, Zack noticed something else that he didn't really realize. Cloud was looking rather pale and even a little exhausted.

Zack didn't stop him as they continued to walk, but he did look mildly concerned that he had never noticed Cloud being so pale before. He was sure that he was not like that before. Maybe he was actually getting sicker, though that would be odd, considering that he seems to be able to walk now. Zack needed to try to figure out what was going on though.

"Hey, you look a bit more pale than usual. And your breathing has gotten heavy. If you're having trouble keeping up walking, I can help. Are you sure you're all right Cloud?" Zack asked with a concerned tone towards his friend.

Cloud stopped in his tracks as he stared down at the ground. His hands fidgeted slightly as he started to shake his head. But then he stopped and paused again, and then nodded his head instead. Though once more he stopped and seemed to be lost in his thoughts. Eventually he lifted his head and looked over at Zack. He raised his shoulders up in a slight shrugging position as he continued to look at Zack. There was clearly a bit of worry in his face, but also confusion as if he wasn't sure himself about how he felt.

Zack was not really sure what to do, as he wanted to let Cloud continue on his own, but he also was worried that Cloud was pushing himself too much. Zack took a few steps toward Cloud and extended his hand out as he spoke.

"We're almost to the town at least. But, I'm worried about you. You can walk on your own if you want, but just let me support you at least," Zack said in a manner that almost constituted as begging.

Cloud looked at Zack for a bit longer before his eyes shifted to Zack's hand. He looked like he was thinking it over for a moment before he nodded in agreement and reached out for Zack's hand.

Zack smiled slightly at Cloud as he grabbed onto his outreached hand and put his arm around Cloud's as they walked together in silence for the rest of the way to town. Upon reaching the town, Zack noticed something a bit strange. This town was a bit familiar to himself, but the fact that it was there was what didn't seem right.

Zack let go of Cloud as he walked a few steps further into the town. "What's going on…? I saw the town reduced to ashes, but it's back to the way it was before…"

As Zack examined his surroundings he noticed people running in the distance. There was a small group of infantrymen running towards the entrance of the town. As they approached Zack heard one of them shouting to the others.

"It's a breakout!"

All four infantrymen approached Zack before pointed their guns at him. Instinctively Zack pulled out his buster sword and held it in an offensive position.

"The professor's test samples are escaping!" another one shouted.

Zack looked at them and chuckled with confidence. "It'll take more than your average grunt to take me down!"

But before he could start an attack or even before the infantrymen fired, he heard more footsteps running and getting closer. Zack looked to his side and saw that there was another infantryman coming in from a side entrance of the town.

"_Just how many of them are there?"_ Zack wondered. Suddenly though the sound of grunting and distress drew Zack's attention behind him.

There he saw even more infantrymen. There was only three of them, but two of them were holding Cloud back by the arms and trying to pull him away. Cloud though was flailing his legs and arms and struggling to get free from their grasp, though it was no use as he still was clearly exhausted. He kept on trying though, but the infantrymen were far stronger than he was.

"Cloud!" Zack cried out as he was tempted to run and save Cloud, but he was concerned that the infantryman could fire at any second, and he didn't want to risk Cloud getting shot.

As the infantrymen continue to try to pull Cloud away, he stopped struggling only for a moment and locked eyes with Zack. It was there Zack could see the pleading look in the young blond's eyes. Zack then knew what he had to do. He turned back to the main four men in front of him and readily his sword again.

"This is bad…" he muttered under his breath. "I better take care of them quickly! I am not going to get caught again!"

Zack looked and saw many soldiers surrounding him. However, he knew that he could easily defeat these guys. Zack rushes forward with the buster sword raised to attack. He avoided a few bullets as he sliced down the first one with ease, and then moved onto the other ones there quickly. In just a few minutes, they were all defeated.

Just as Zack was about to breathe a sigh of relief and focus on Cloud, more soldiers marched forward and blocked his path. Still, he had much confidence in his ability to defeat them. Just as before, he sprinted towards them, this time with a little bit more annoyance on his face. He then took all of them out one by one, without sustaining any damage to himself. Though, he was starting to feel more tired than usual, which he found slightly odd.

Finally, however, he could turn his attention to Cloud. As he started to make his way to the two soldiers that were dragging Cloud, a couple more soldiers rushed in from the side to block him. Then, several more came from behind him to box him in. Zack was now getting quite frustrated with them, as he just wanted to get Cloud back and get out of there.

This time the soldiers started firing at him before he moved to attack. Zack evaded the shots and moved forward to slice through the first soldier that had fired upon him. Zack stopped very briefly to catch his breath, as he then proceeded to rush to the other men to fight them. His swings started to get slower as he actually missed the next swing, but then he connected with the next one. After taking out those two, there were only about four of them left to fight off. Zack knew that he would have to go to them since they had guns, so he moved forward once more to attack.

The next two that he cut down were simple enough as they were right next to each other, but he was now getting more winded. But he had to do this, no matter what. Zack stumbled forward a bit before finding his balance as he threw his weight behind his sword and sliced through another one. As he moved to the last one, he swung, but he missed as his sword clanged against the ground. The soldier then raised his gun and hit Zack with the butt of it in his gut, causing Zack to gasp slightly. However, this only annoyed Zack further as he then reached out his foot and kicked the infantryman back. As the man stumbled, Zack picked up his sword and swung it hard one last time as the last soldier there was defeated.

His breathing was heavy as he finally was able to stop to catch his breath.

"I shouldn't be having this much trouble with these guys. I guess...I'm more weak than I felt I was. But I still need to get Cloud," he said to himself as he turned toward where the soldiers were dragging Cloud.

Upon seeing Zack looking toward them and that all of his other soldiers were defeated, the two that had hold of Cloud suddenly let go of him. They then ran off in the other direction and faded into the distance. Cloud stood for only a moment before he collapsed to the ground.

To be honest, Zack was relieved that he did not have to fight another one right now. He slowly made his way over to where Cloud had fallen onto the ground. Once he was standing over Cloud, he saw that Cloud's entire body was shaking. His legs were tucked up against his chest as he had his arms wrapped around his them. His eyes were closed as his breathing was shaky and fast paced as well, only adding to the concern.

Zack breathed heavily as he noticed that this was quite unnatural. Cloud looked even more pale now, in addition to the constant shaking. Zack had no idea what was wrong, or even what to do. He knelt down to Cloud to try and see if he could calm him down again.

"Cloud… you have to calm down. You're overexerting yourself. I'm here to help of course. Just listen to me,"he finished as he was hoping to let him know he was there and could be okay.

Cloud's body continued to shake as some kind of sound came from him. It sounded like he was trying to speak, but it just came out as incoherent sounds.

Zack then moved his arms around Cloud's back and sat him upright and held him there as he hoped that would help Cloud to become more relaxed. He placed one hand on Cloud's shoulder as he kept the other one on his back as he tried to speak to him again.

"Hey, if you're still worried about the soldiers, they're gone so you don't need to fret. But, maybe we should head back to the mansion for now. I just want to make sure you're okay first," Zack commented worryingly.

The shaking in Cloud's body slowly started to die down, and soon enough it came to a stop. Cloud let out a long exhale, as his whole body relax. Zack then saw Cloud looked up at him, his eyes no longer showing signs of worry or distress. He only looked at Zack for a little before he examined the area around him and saw the dead infantrymen laying around the area. His attention was then brought back to Zack as nodded.

Zack was a bit relieved to see that Cloud had finally seemed to snap out of his trance. After making sure that Cloud was fine, Zack then put his arm around Cloud and helped to stand him back up as they started to make their way back up the path to the mansion. Zack then spoke up towards him once more, as he had decided what they needed to do.

"It's daytime, and we're still a little weak, Maybe we should rest until dark?" Zack asked as they were getting closer to the mansion.

Cloud nodded in agreement as he held onto Zack.

"Okay…" a quiet voice said a second later.

The voice almost went unheard, but Zack did hear it, and he immediately knew who the voice belonged to. He looked over at Cloud and saw him staring him right back.

Zack was quite surprised at first, as he did not expect Cloud to be able to be competent with the way that he had been acting. His surprise soon turned to joy as he was happy to see his friend partially awake now.

"Oh, so you do have some words left in you. I was beginning to worry there for a moment," Zack joked as he was happy that it seemed Cloud was going to be all right. But he had to make sure.

"So Cloud, are you going to be all right? We probably need to get you out of those wet clothes. All of that mako doesn't need to stay on you like that either. Maybe then you will feel a bit better. That sound good?" Zack probed Cloud in an effort to try and elicit a response from the chocobo-headed boy.

Cloud stared at Zack a little bit longer before he slowly nodded his head in agreement. He furrowed his brows as he seemed to be thinking about something. A moment later he spoke up again. "Yeah... okay..." His voice was still quiet and soft, as if he were half asleep.

Zack had hoped that he would get something more of a reaction from Cloud, but he figured that two words now were better than one. He looked forward toward the mansion, and although he felt exhausted, he was relieved that Cloud seemed like he was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it is a lot of words and a slow start, but it will build up over time.  
Hope you all enjoyed though and can't wait to show you what else happens along the way for the journey.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go for the next one so you all can see more of what is going on. Let's jump into it!

Zack knew that wanted to try to help Cloud a bit more. There had to be something he could do. He had a thought that it could be the mako seemed to be affecting Cloud, but he didn't think it would be this bad. He was relieved at least that Cloud wasn't totally gone, he seemed to be managing through it all, despite his freak out from before. Zack was still joyful that Cloud had finally managed to speak, out of everything so far, that probably was the best part of the day.

The two made their way back through the mansion until they got to the room with the beds. Once inside the room, Zack helped Cloud into a sitting position on the bed. Cloud was now just sitting there, seemingly just spacing out.

Zack stared at Cloud with sad eyes. He was saddened at how quickly Cloud's mind was switching between being acting to almost zombie-like. "Cloud… Can this really be the effect of mako poisoning?" Zack kept looking at Cloud for a moment before he lowered his head and sighed. He then dropped to the floor and laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Angeal… Am I just not capable of saving anyone?"

Those thoughts lingered for a moment as he started to feel a bit lost within himself. He had nothing left. His family in Gongaga was likely either gone, or they thought him dead since he had probably been gone for a little while. His mentor and friend Angeal was dead by his own hands, and the hero that he looked up to, Sephiroth, had now gone crazy and was gone as well. The only person he had left was Cloud, and now he was desperately sick, and Zack did not know what to do to get him better. It just seemed hopeless sometimes, but he tried to keep positive thoughts. However, that was proving to be a monumental task. As he started to space out he heard Cloud's faint voice again, bringing him back to reality.

"Zack...?" Cloud asked weakly as he looked over at him.

Zack smiled a small bit. He couldn't lose hope just yet. Cloud was counting on him and he knew he wasn't going to give up that easily on helping Cloud.

"All right!" Zack said as he sat back up straight. First things first, let's find you a change of clothes. I know that those mako soaked clothes will definitely not help you on your road to recovery. Stay here and rest. I am going to see what I can find, okay?"

Cloud looked right at Zack and nodded. Zack then went to search through the closets in the various rooms, hoping to find some clothes. He first checked the closets in the room they were in, but there was nothing worthy of note so he moved on to the ned room with closets. As he walked around his thoughts started flowing more and more.

"_I hate to see Cloud like that. I didn't expect that the mako would have such a negative effect on him. I just hope there is a way to help him recover faster. And then there was his freak out back there… was that also because of the mako?"_ Zack let out a sigh as he opened up another closet only to find nothing in it that he needed.

He approached the last closet in the room and much to his surprise he found something that would be helpful. On one of the shelves he saw two old SOLDIER 1st class uniforms.

Zack smiled. "All right! Just what I was looking for! Though hmm… should I grab the other one for myself? The mako didn't affect me like it did for Cloud… but my outfit is still soaked in the stuff and I have no idea if that will affect Cloud if he is around me. Better to be safe than sorry."

He then gathered all of the pieces in his arms and made his way back to the room where he had left Cloud. When he entered back into the room he saw that Cloud was still sitting on the bed, his head lowered and his legs were up against his chest. Zack laid the clothes down next to Cloud and motioned to them.

"I've got some new clothes for you to change into. So let's get to it so that we can help you to feel better," Zack stated to Cloud, hoping that he would understand him.

Cloud didn't look back up at Zack as he spoke, he kept his head lowered and make no verbal acknowledgement. It was at that moment he noticed something strange about Cloud. His hands were shaking. In fact Cloud's whole body seemed to be shaking. Zack could even hear an unsteady breath from Cloud.

Zack stared wide-eyed at Cloud with a look of concern crossing his face. He stopped everything he was doing and got closer to Cloud to take a look at him.

"Hey, Cloud. Are you all right? You're shaking a bit there. And you're breathing hard too. Don't push yourself too much. I can help if you are not able to do it yourself," Zack stressed to him.

Cloud shook his head back and forth as he let out a whimper. His head was hurting and he didn't understand why. He quickly tried to get off from the bed and stand up, but as soon as his feet were on the ground he stumbled forwards and then back a bit. He let out another whimper as he gripped his head.

"No no… negh..." Cloud muttered as he swayed back and forth. He began to shake his head more vigorously as he felt more pain surge through his head.

Zack reached his hands out and placed them firmly on Cloud's shoulders. He tried to keep him still so that he did not accidentally fall or hurt himself. Zack was pondering quickly what could be wrong with Cloud, and he wanted to try and get through to him.

"Hey hey. Stay calm a bit. Is… Is this the mako doing this? Don't worry, I'm here. Just talk to me."

Cloud stop whimpering and muttering things as he seemed to be calming down a little. Though his body was still shaking. Without warning he abruptly pulled away from Zack and staggered backwards. With his hands still gripping his head, he let out a another whimper of pain. He dropped down to his knees as he started to grip his hair tighter.

Cloud's breathing started to calm down after a minute, and his body seemed to be more relaxed than before. Slowly Cloud lowered his hands to his sides, but he didn't move from the spot. He sat there with his eyes fixated on the ground.

Zack was almost frozen for a moment as he had just witnessed Cloud seemingly have some form of a breakdown again. He still was not sure exactly what was going on with him. He was sure that it was the mako, but he still couldn't be too sure about it. And it seemed that Cloud was in no shape to even answer him either. He knew that all he could do right now was to be a good friend and to try to comfort Cloud all that he could.

He knelt down in front of Cloud and tried to see if he could help. He noticed that Cloud's breathing had slowed back down and that he was no longer shaking. Whatever had happened seemed to have passed, as Zack breathed a sigh of relief. Though, he was still concerned for his friend as he placed his hand on his shoulder once more to let him know that he was there.

"Cloud I'm here for you buddy. Just don't flip out on me again okay? Take your time if you need it."

Cloud slowly raised his head, bringing his eyes up to level with Zack. As soon as Zack saw Cloud's eyes he gasped. While Cloud's face was completely void of all expressions, it was his eyes that caught Zack's attention. They were glowing a bright blue, far bluer than Cloud's eyes normally were.

It only lasted a second though as the glow began to fade and Cloud's eyes closed. As soon as his eyes were shut he fell forward onto Zack's chest. Zack stared for a brief moment at Cloud as he held him there next to his chest as he became lost in his thoughts again.

"_I see now… so it was the mako. It is having some strange effect on him after all. I guess I should try to find a way to get us both clean to get the mako off of us. Maybe that will help him to not be like this."_

Zack laid Cloud back on the bed as he was once again passed out. Cloud was breathing normally now at least, so Zack felt comfortable leaving him here. Zack made sure, however, to grab his sword to take with him, just in case there were some other monsters out there. He then exited the room once again as he went to search for a bathroom or shower, making sure to grab his new clothes on the way out.

As he walked through the mansion, his thoughts were quiet for once as he just tried to not think about much, since so much had happened in such a short time. After traveling through the mansion for a few minutes, Zack happened upon what looked like a master bedroom suite that had what appeared to be a large bathroom inside of it. He did not encounter anything suspicious on his way there, so he decided that he would go ahead and clean himself up.

Zack made his way into the bathroom and began to finally remove the mako-stained clothes from himself. He turned the water on and was thankful that it was somewhat warm as he then stepped into the shower. He stood there in silence as the water ran over him, and he felt more relaxed than he had been in a while. He closed his eyes and decided to stay there for a while since Cloud was asleep. He then became lost deep within his own thoughts as the situation they were in completely hit him.

"_Just what are we going to do now? I mean, it seems Shinra is not our friends anymore, and who knows if there is anyone else left out there that I know. Well, at least someone friendly that is. And just how much time has passed since we were locked away? There's just so many questions that I have…"_ Zack sighed as he contemplated everything that could be going on.

He opened his eyes and threw his hands against the wall. He lowered his head as he allowed the water to streak down his back, thinking about how good it felt to finally have a shower after so long as he continued to think. "_And then I have Cloud to worry about now, and I don't know if he will ever fully recover. I hope so, but the mako seems to have done something strange to him. I've gotta find some way to support the both of us through all of this. And then where would we even go? There doesn't seem to be anything left that I know of. Gosh, if Angeal was here he would know what to do. I just… don't know," _Zack trailed off as he sighed once more.

He then raised himself up and finally cleaned himself up as best he could before finally stepping out of the shower. There seemed to be a mirror across from him as he walked over to it. He wiped the fog away from it as the steam from the hot water had clouded the room. Once he cleared it off, he finally saw himself for the first time in what seemed like ages. He gave himself a good, hard look, and then he slapped his cheeks hard.

"Ah, what are you doing Zack? I've got more confidence than this. Admittedly I am worried, but I have to be strong for myself. That's probably what Angeal would say at least. And, I need to be strong for Cloud too," he encouraged himself as he closed his eyes briefly, only to open them and give himself a cheeky smile. Zack finally got himself dressed in the SOLDIER outfit that he found, gathered his things, and started to head back towards the room he and Cloud were in.

Zack finally made his way back to the room after a few minutes of walking in silence, and upon entering the room, he saw that Cloud had slightly moved on the bed. He wasn't sitting up, but he was laying on his side. His eyes seemed to be halfway open as he stared at the wall across from him. Zack moved over to him to see if he was awake.

"Cloud. Hey Cloud. Are you awake buddy? I see that you moved a bit there. Look, I want you to get yourself cleaned up and get that Mako off of you so hopefully you will feel better. I found a bathroom down the hall but I need you to be conscious," Zack told him as he waited for a response from the boy.

Cloud hummed softly before his eyes met with Zack's, he stared for a while before he opened his mouth. "Feel… better?" his voice was still quiet, but his words were clear and understandable.

Zack could barely hear what Cloud had said, but his voice wasn't shaky like before. Zack felt an ounce of relief from seeing that Cloud seemed to be able to speak some still, even if it wasn't much. Though, it did seem that Cloud did not understand him too clearly.

"Yea, Cloud, you will feel better if you can wash off some. That's what I just did and I feel great. So come on, let's get you over there," Zack motioned as he knelt down to look Cloud in the face.

Cloud rubbed his eyes before blinking a few times. He looked off to the side with a thoughtful look, as if he was thinking over the idea of washing off. Without any words, Cloud slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. "Okay…" Cloud muttered as he got off the bed and stood up. He staggered for only a moment, but seemed to regain his balance and was now standing up perfectly fine.

Zack was surprised that Cloud was able to stand up so easily. "Wow, Cloud, that's good that you are able to stand on your own. Now let's go down to the bathroom. I'll walk with you," Zack said as he motioned to Cloud to come with him. He allowed Cloud to walk in front of him so that he could make sure Cloud did not fall. On the way out, Zack made sure to grab the clothes that he set aside for Cloud, and they proceeded down the hall towards the bathroom area.

Zack stayed right behind Cloud as they proceeded down the hallway. Cloud was walking slowly in front of Zack and appeared to be doing well, but then Zack noticed that he started to stumble slightly. Zack started to rush forward to help, but Cloud ended up using his hand for leverage against the wall though, and continued to slide his hand down the wall as he continued what seemed to him like a long trek. Zack began to wonder though if Cloud would be able to bathe himself, or what might have to happen. He was hoping that Cloud would be functional enough to at least do that, but he would make sure. Eventually, they arrived at the entrance for the room.

Once there, Zack directed Cloud where to go as they both made their way to the bathroom area. Cloud made his way there under his own power without many issues, even though he was slow about getting there. Zack then finally asked what had been on his mind.

"Uh, Cloud, I almost hate to ask, but do you think you will be able to shower on your own?" Zack questioned, unsure of what the answer might be.

Cloud looked up at Zack and just slowly nodded his head as he then started to slowly undress himself. He still seemed to be in a zombie-like state, but Zack was proud to see Cloud being able to do more basic functions again. Zack then sat the cloths down in the bathroom counter and then began to draw the water for Cloud, making sure that it was just as warm as it was when he was there. After that was done, Zack then started to walk away.

"Cloud, I will be right out here if you need me. Just be careful in there," Zack said to him. Zack waited for a moment until he saw another head nod from Cloud. Then he finally exited the room and closed the door as he proceeded to wait outside, just in case something were to happen.

Zack sat next to the door to the bathroom as he waited. He didn't want to go off anywhere, of course, but he had nothing else to do. Or rather he didn't feel like doing much else at the moment. Sure he could look around the room he was currently in and see if he could find anything useful, but with how empty the place already was, he didn't expect to find much else.

After a little while he heard the water from the shower stop running. He figured Cloud had finished, but he still decided to wait a bit longer before knocking on the door. More minutes passed, but there wasn't a lot of sound coming from inside the bathroom, nor did Cloud exit out. Now that he was beginning to worry a slight bit, he decided to knock on the door.

"Hey um… Cloud? Are you… doing okay?" Zack finally asked.

He heard an affirmative hum from inside the bathroom before a single word was said. "Yes…"

Zack paused for a moment before he asked his next question. "Did you change into the other clothes? I know they probably smell rather musty, but we can't really be picky about it. It's all we got."

"Yeah…" Cloud replied.

"So you're all set then?" Zack asked.

He heard one more affirmative hum before he decided that it would be all right to open the door. As soon as he did, he saw Cloud standing in the middle of the bathroom and thankfully he did actually have the SOLDIER outfit on. Though he had gotten on the sleeveless turtleneck sweater and pants, he seemed to be struggling to figure out how to get the belt and armor pieces attached properly.

Zack walked over to Cloud and motioned him to just put his hands down. Cloud dropped his hands to his side and just stood there motionless. Zack then took the belt and wrapped it around Cloud's waist tightly and got them all buckled in the proper position. He then grabbed the armor pieces and placed them in the position where they needed to be as he then stood back and looked at Cloud.

"Well look at you. Now you look like a proper 1st Class SOLDIER. Our outfits match now," Zack chuckled slightly as he joked around with Cloud.

Cloud looked down at his new outfit and then at Zack. After he stared for a moment, his eyes turned to look at the mirror in the bathroom. He walked up to it and wiped away some of the fog on the glass so he could see himself. It looked like he was just spacing out as he stared at his reflection, but Zack could tell that Cloud was having some thoughts on it.

"Hmmm…" Cloud hummed as he placed a hand on the glass, right in front of his reflection. "SOLDIER..."

Zack looked on as Cloud gazed upon himself. "Well, not quite SOLDIER yet, but you definitely deserve to be one," he touted as he drew closer to Cloud and ruffled his hair. "Well, why don't we get back to the room now to rest. It's still daytime, so we need all that we can get before we head out at dusk," Zack finished to Cloud.

The two of them then proceeded to make their way back to the room, as Zack allowed Cloud to once again walk in front of him. Cloud did not seem to have any trouble walking back to the room for now as Zack didn't see him stumble at all, which he knew was a good sign that maybe the refreshing shower and change of clothes helped a good bit. Though Cloud was still not speaking a lot. The few words he had said though before were enough though to give Zack hope that Cloud was in fact getting back.

When they got back to the room, Cloud walked over to the bed he had been laying on before. He crawled up onto the bed and laid down. Zack saw now how tired Cloud's face looked, with his eyes heavy and slowly starting to close.

"Guess that shower relaxed you a little too much," Zack joked. "I'll let you rest though, you look like you really need it."

Zack then turned his attention to the pile that was his old SOLDIER outfit. He noticed something sticking out from the pocket that he hadn't noticed before. Curious, he walked over and picked it up and examined it. He knew it was familiar to him and a second later his eyes widened as the memory came to him.

"_They're tiny, but you have lots, right?"_ Zack remembered himself asking.

"_That's right, wanna hear?"_ the sweet familiar voice of Aerith asked.

"_How many you got?"_

Zack remembered turning around as she counted on her fingers. Humming softly to herself before she answered. "_Hmm… twenty… three?"_

"_Write them down, so I don't forget."_

"_I have twenty-three tiny wishes." _Aerith had said to him. "_But you probably won't remember them all. So I put them all together into one."_ Aerith had then held up the piece of paper that contained the list of wishes.

Zack remembered taking the piece of paper from Aerith as she had smiled at him. "_I'd like to spend more time with you."_

The memory then ended as Zack let out a sigh. He looked over the letter once more before placing it into this pocket. He was glad he had found it, he wasn't sure what he would do if he had forgotten about it.

"Hey Cloud," Zack started as he began thinking things over. New thoughts started coming to his mind on what he should do and he was getting an idea. "I… I have to go to Midgar."

"Mid… gar?" Cloud asked sleepily.

"Yeah, that's right," Zack said as he turned around to look at Cloud, who seemed to be strugglingly to stay awake at this point. He took a step closer to Cloud and kneeled down so he was close to his eye level. "You wanna come with me?"

"Yeah… Why… wouldn't… I want… to come? Cloud asked before he yawned and finally closed his eyes.

Zack waited a few seconds and soon realized Cloud had immediately fallen asleep. Cloud had fallen asleep, but just before that, he had said a complete sentence. Zack almost couldn't believe it. It hadn't even been a full day and Cloud was already showing great signs of recovering. Maybe the shower and change of clothes really did aid a lot in his recovery. Though he still seemed to struggle between saying each word. But Zack didn't worry too hard on that, after all Cloud had managed to fully say something, and that only meant he was getting better.

"Well now, that's good to hear. At least I'll have some company along the way, even if it might be a bit silent," Zack said as he mildy smiled.

He looked upon Cloud again, and then thought that sleeping was probably a good idea to do soon, as they were going to have a long journey ahead of them. Zack sat down on the floor for a moment before he laid down. He stared up at the ceiling with wide eyes. He wasn't sleepy or tired in the slightest right now, especially after what he had just found. He put his hand over the pocket where the note he had just found resided. At the present moment, there was only one thought on his mind. Aerith.

Zack felt bad that he had made her wait longer than intended, which was why he wanted to get back to Midgar as soon as possible. He desperately missed her, and there was still so much that they had to do. Besides, they still had not had their first date yet. He smiled at the thought of that moment, and it made him quite excited to be able to finally get back. Zack then closed his eyes as he attempted to drift off into a deep sleep.

After quite a while of just lying there, Zack realized that he was not going to fall asleep at all, at least not at this hour. He sighed slightly at the thought of not being able to get some rest. However, there was not much he could do in this situation. He then just decided to sit back up while still on the floor. The only thing that he knew to do at the moment was just to stay up and watch guard over Cloud as the boy still slept soundly. He scooted himself until he was beside the bed as he leaned his back up against the side of it and leaned his head back slightly onto the top at an angle. He knew that time would probably go by quickly, and then it would soon be time for the two of them to head out. Zack closed his eyes once more as he became lost in the thoughts of everything that had happened and he knew so far.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's jump right in with chapter 3.  
Zack and Cloud are still at the mansion, but they are getting ready to leave. What will happen when they are finally out and trying to get a move on? Let's find out!

Night had soon fallen outside and that meant it was time to make their leave. Zack still had much on his mind about everything that had happened to them lately, and had dozed off for only a couple of hours because of this. He noticed the moonlight shining in through the window of the room where they were at.

He blinked a few times and tried to clear the sleepiness from his head and body as he stared out at the full moon. He wished that he had gotten some more rest, but he knew that it was a good time to try and make there way out of Nibelheim. He drew his knees back towards his chest and jumped to his feet, and then proceeded to do his daily squats in order to get the blood flowing.

After a few moments of doing exercises, Zack finally stopped and turned around to look at Cloud. His younger, blonde-haired friend was still sleeping soundly, and had appeared to have not moved at all through the night. Zack grinned a little at him, knowing that Cloud needed all of the rest that he could get. Zack waited around patiently as he retrieved the letter from his pocket and looked it over once again. His thoughts once again were focuses solely on Aerith and being able to see her again, and after about fifteen minutes, he decided that it was time to leave.

Zack walked over to Cloud and begin to shake him gently.

"Hey. It's nighttime now and we need to go. Wake up sleepyhead," Zack spoke firmly to Cloud.

Cloud stirred slightly, but still seemed like he was dazed. As Zack continued to shake him, Cloud's eyes opened slightly and stayed narrowed as he seemed to be trying to focus on what he was seeing. Zack saw this and was glad that Cloud had managed to wake up somewhat.

"Ah there we go buddy, you're finally up. Come on we need to go." Zack placed his and behind Cloud's back and sat him upright on the bed as Cloud's head drooped a bit. He was still half asleep it seemed. "All right, I'll give you a bit of time to get your head together, but let's leave soon okay?"

Zack gathered up everything that they needed to make their journey. After a few moments of waiting, Cloud still was not fully awake yet. Therefore, Zack approached him once again and then placed his hand behind his back as he helped to lift him up off of the bed. Cloud stumbled briefly after standing, but with Zack's support, he was able to gain his balance and stand on his own.

Cloud stood there motionless as he wore a blank expression for a few moments before finally raising his head up. Zack stared him directly in the face and smiled at him, glad that Cloud seemed to finally be conscious enough to start their journey. Though, as Cloud started to take a step, he stumbled again, but Zack caught him in his arms.

"Okay Cloud, apparently you still are not completely awake. It's okay, that's why I'm here. Just hang onto me for a bit until you can wake up more. After we are moving for a bit then you should be okay," Zack reassured him as he let Cloud lean on his shoulder.

The two of them finally made their way out of the room and all through the house as they came to the front door. Zack opened the door, peaked his head outside and peered to each side to make sure there was nothing that seemed off. He and Cloud then made their way from there to the front gate when he felt a slight tug on his shoulder. Zack stopped and glanced over at Cloud, who was looking at him, and then he looked at Zack's arm. Zack knew what he wanted as he then let go of Cloud, who proceeded to be able to stand on his own firmly without faltering.

"At least you're able to stand now then. Making our way will be much easier now that you're awake. Well, are you ready? Once we begin this journey, there's no going back."

Cloud opened his mouth to speak. "Yeah, Zack… Let's go."

Zack smiled at his response and looked forward at the path before them. Fortunately, the moon illuminated there way for the most part, which would help navigating the uncertain terrain. Zack motioned for Cloud to come with him as they departed and started to walk side by side in mostly silence, as Cloud seemed to still not be speaking too much.

Soon enough, they made their way to the mysteriously rebuilt town of Nibelheim. Zack was still puzzled at why the town was still there though, as he vividly remembered Sephiroth destroying it. However, there was no time to ponder that as he wanted to keep going. This was the town where their lives took quite the bad turn, so Zack did not want to stick around, and Cloud probably did not either. Zack did stop once again, which made Cloud turn to look at him with a cocked head, obviously wondering why they were stopping.

"Last time we came through here there were soldiers patrolling. I want to make sure there is nothing here now. Let me go check, and you just stay here okay," Zack said to Cloud.

As he started to walk away, he heard a muffled voice from behind. "But… let me... help… Help… you..." Cloud trailed off as his breath sounded exasperated.

Zack turned around and held up a hand to Cloud. "No, I don't want you to be in danger any more. I've got this."

Cloud wanted to argue more, but he didn't have the will nor the words to do so. He begrudgingly shrugged to Zack as he went off to sit behind one of the first buildings they came upon. Zack then continued on and checked through the town, and as he made it a little over halfway, he heard something in the distance. Soon he clearly heard running footsteps of more infantrymen.

He prepared himself this time as he saw them soon run into view, guns in hand and pointed right at him. He dodged the first wave of bullets from the group of infantrymen before lunging directly at them and striking them down with his sword.

Having rested for a short while did seem to help him as he did not feel as exhausted as before. No matter what though he was not going to give up. There wasn't even that many infantrymen to take out. He was sure things would get a bit easier once he and Cloud could just get out of town.

It did not take long before all the infantrymen in the area were defeated. Zack breathed a sigh of relief as he scanned around the town once more to check if anyone else was there. After not seeing any more infantrymen or anyone else he made his way back to Cloud.

When he got back to where Cloud was sitting, he saw that he was staring up at the sky. His eyes were still a bit hazy and spacey, but he seemed to be trying to focus on the stars. Zack walked right up to Cloud and he didn't even react, he only kept his eyes up at the sky. Zack began to wonder again if Cloud was really okay. He kept going back and forth between seeming to be conscious of everything and being a spaced-out zombie. Zack kept on hoping though that Cloud was going to make a full recovery, but at this point it seemed it would take time.

Zack kneeled down and gently shook Cloud's shoulder. "Hey buddy, stars sure are bright tonight, aren't they?"

Cloud finally blinked a few times before turning his attention over to Zack. He nodded his head gently before trying to look behind Zack. "They… They're… gone?"

Zack almost was about to question Cloud what he meant, but then he figured Cloud must have heard him fighting the infantrymen again. So Zack gave a nod in response. "Yup. The coast is clear so let's move out!"

Zack held out a hand for Cloud in case he needed help standing back up. Cloud stared for a moment before he decided to take hold of Zack's hand and was pulled up to his feet.

"You still able to stand on your own?" Zack asked.

Cloud nodded and he started to move forward a little.

"Okay then, let's keep going. The farther we get from here, the better," Zack replied before he also started walking.

The two soon exited out the front of the town and started down the long path leading away from the town. Zack slowed his pace so he could keep an eye on Cloud, who was walking fine on his own, but he shuffling slowly. Zack started to wonder how far Cloud would be able to walk like that. It was clear while he was doing better compared to when he first woke up, but he still mostly seemed out of it. Zack knew though that he would be ready to help Cloud if the reason was there to help him again.

Soon they were walking far outside of the town and along the small forest path. Though as they produced further he started to see something in the distance. He squinted his eyes to attempt to have a better look and saw several soldier patrol vehicles up ahead. It was just as he had thought, and there was another fight they would have to go through. But Zack was prepared for it… but it didn't mean he enjoyed it.

"Damn it…" he cursed under his breath. "There's no end to this!"

Zack stopped and surveyed the area, he could see many patrol vehicles roaming the area. He knew it wold far to risking to try to sneak by them. He would have to take them out first before they made any other progress. But first, he would have to leave Cloud in a safe spot.

"This way Cloud," Zack said as he motioned Cloud to follow him.

They walked a bit into the forest until they came to a mostly hidden area. There was a few trees around them and a large boulder near a hillside. "I want you to wait here for me okay? I'm just going to take out those patrol vehicles. I'll be back."

Zack turned to leave when he felt Cloud gripped his wrist. He turned around to see Cloud staring at him with wide, concerned eyes. Cloud shook his head back and forth as his grip remained firm around Zack's wrist.

"I'll be fine Cloud. You don't have to worry about me," Zack calmly replied.

"But…" Cloud started. He seemed to mouth some of the words he wanted before actually trying to say that. "I… wan… wanna… help."

This time Zack shook his head. "Cloud, it's too dangerous for you. You're still recovering. You need to stay out of harm's way."

"B-But…Don't… on your… o-own…" Cloud said, stumbling and struggling with his words.

Zack placed the hand not held by Cloud on top of his head. "I said I'll be fine. I'll just be taking a look around and clearing out the patrols. I know what I'm doing. I know you want to help, but until you've recovered a bit more, I just can't risk you getting hurt. You understand?"

Zack hoped that Cloud would understand and at least try to be reasonable. He thought it was a nice thought Cloud wanted to help out and everything, but his condition proved that would not be a good idea. He didn't even have a weapon to give to Cloud to defend himself. Maybe something like that would be a smart idea for later. Zack made sure to make a mental note of that.

Cloud stared for a while at Zack. His eyes going from focused to hazy. Finally he let go of Zack's wrist and sighed. He looked a little disappointed, but he didn't seem to want to protest more. "Okay…"

"Hey I promise I won't take too long okay? We'll be on our way again before you know it," Zack said cheerfully as he ruffled Cloud's hair. "Just stay here and I'll be back soon."

Cloud slowly nodded and when to sit down next to the boulder. Seeing that Cloud was listening to him he finally went off to take care of the patrol vehicles. He knew it would be no easy task, but he had to do it. The patrols were too much of a risk to deal with. He walked a bit further down the path until he could clearly see the vehicles several feet in front of him. He prepared himself before heading towards the first set of patrol vehicles to take out.

* * *

Zack had spent far longer than he thought taking out the many patrol vehicles in the area. There was far more roaming around than he thought, but he had finally managed to take out the last bits of them. But now he found himself a bit far from the forest where he first started. Now he was down by the small shoreline. The calming sound of the waves drew him in to walking closer to the shoreline.

Zack walked a bit closer to the edge of the water and looked out at the vast area before him. Now that everything felt peaceful again, he let his thoughts flow through him. "Huh… Where do I go from here?"

He knew he had a plan on what he wanted to do, but he still had so many thoughts and questions about everything. "What am I going to do? I doubt I can keep hiding Cloud if there ends up being conflict. And he still needs help… I'm still worried about him." Zack looked up at the star filled sky. "Angeal… what should I do?"

Zack then lowered his head as he tried to think things over again. Though as he did, he could hear quietly footsteps approaching from behind. With a small side glance, he knew right away who it was. Zack slightly smiled as he raised his head a little while keeping it tilted.

"Hey, Cissnei. Been a while," he said in a casual manner, not batting an eye as he smirked casually at her presence there.

There was a pause before he heard her speak. "Zack… The fugitive sample… is it you?"

"It would appear so," Zack responded immediately in a not-too-enthused tone as he stayed facing the water.

"What did they do to you in that place?" Cissnei then asked.

Zack turned slightly to the left to see her with his peripheral vision. "Well… this and that…" he trailed off as he motioned his hand as a way of signaling what he had just said as he held his small smirk.

He then stared down at the ground briefly, the grin on his face disappearing as he realized why she was probably there. He turned to face her to confirm what he believed.

"So, Cissnei, you're here to take us back, right?" he asked her, though he already knew the answer he was going to receive.

After all, she was a loyal member of the Turks, and would do anything that they asked her to do, as per her job requirement. Zack had known her for quite some time as they had become good friends, and he hoped that would help in her decision. However, he knew the Turks, and they would expect her to carry out her job no matter what. He stared at her directly for a few seconds as he awaited her response.

She almost looked a small bit surprised by his accusation, but with the simple act of lowering her head and tilting it to the side said everything. She didn't need to give him a verbal answer. He knew exactly what she meant, just by the look on her face.

Zack got the exact response that he was expecting, but he knew he had to try to convince her differently as he stepped forward as if to defend himself.

"Please, just walk away!" he pleaded loudly, using his hands to show his sincerity. He then tightened his fist into a ball as his hand started shaking, as he began to worry that this may be the end of the line. "I thought we could outrun the army, but the Turks are a different story," he said, admitting his fear of the situation as he looked down at the ground with eyes closed.

Cissnei kept her head lower for a moment before she let out a sigh. "Zack, I'm sorry…" From the tone of her voice, Zack could tell that she clearly and sincerely meant it. Taking out her weapon she looked back up at Zack. She stared long and hard before she said anything else. "This is my job."

Zack straighten up slightly, almost a little surprised she actually had readiy her weapon.

"If you want to escape, you have to…" She pulled her weapon back, ready to throw it. She stopped and hesitated for a second. But that second passed and she looked back at Zack and threw her weapon directly at him.

Zack saw the chakram-like weapon heading his direction as he positioned his hand on the hilt of the buster sword. In almost an instant, he had pulled the sword from across his back and knocked Cissnei's weapons away from him as his his sword clanged against it. He then pointed his sword directly at Cissnei as he wore a mix of emotions on his face, which all melded into confusion at the entire situation. He let out a short, exasperated gasp at having to even take the actions that he was taking. It was obvious he did not favor this situation.

The chakram whirled through the air and landed right next to Cissnei, which caused her to jump slightly at it having been so close to hitting her. After glancing to where it landed, she then turned to look back at Zack before then taking a couple of steps toward him. Zack kept his buster sword in the horizontal position with the blade pointed towards her. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, giving Zack a curious look.

"Step back," Zack simply said, his voice sounding blank as though he was trying to hide his emotions. His sword was shaking ever so slightly as he continued to hold it up. "Next time… I'll really have to…" he trailed off his words as his eyes diverted to the ground as he thought over what he was about to say. He knew if things kept going the way they were, then he might have to actually fight her, which is something that he wanted to avoid if all possible.

Zack looked back up at her with sincerity in his eyes. He and Cissnei shared each other's gazes for a few seconds, as she returned that same sincerity in her glance. After those few seconds had passed, Zack started to inch back slowly, keeping his sword pointed at her in a way to tell her to not come near him. He took a few more steps back as he slowly turned and ran off along the beach, back towards the wooded area that he had come from. Cissnei was left standing on the beach, as she stared down at the ground and breathed a heavy sigh, the weight of all that had happened likely pulsing through her mind.

Zack made his way from the beach and back into the forest area as threw the buster sword over his shoulder and sheathed it on his back. He jogged lightly, trying to get back to Cloud in order to figure out what they needed to do next, and where they should try to go. This entire situation was turning into more of a mess than Zack could have ever imagined. He just wished that he knew exactly what to do. After a few more seconds of moving, he finally made his way back to the clearing in the forest where he had left Cloud as he approached him.

He noticed that Cloud was hunched up against a rock now, and the way that he was sitting had Zack a bit puzzled Cloud had his knees firmly pressed up against his chest. His arms were tightly wrapped around his legs as he seemed as though he was making sure to keep them from going anywhere. He had his head rested up on top of his knees and wore a blank stare as he was looking down at the ground.

Zack started to worry, but he knew that Cloud had been in worse positions than this. His body wasn't shaking and he wasn't gripping his head, so Zack figured that Cloud must have just been worried about him probably and anticipating his return. Zack figured he'd break the silence.

"So, did you miss me?" Zack questioned jokingly as he awaited a response from Cloud, but he received nothing, which he found strange as Cloud had just been more talkative than usual. He figured though that Cloud was still probably tired, or maybe even just slipping into a more dazed state again.

However, Zack continued. "The Turks are here, too. It's too dangerous to move now." He paused slightly as he waited. "We'll rest here until morning. Then we'll leave at dawn," he said as he glanced off and upwards with a smile crossing his face as he had tried to sound positive about the situation.

Zack then turned his attention back to Cloud as he smiled at him and brushed off his worries. "Eh, we'll be all right," he spoke softly and calmly.

Zack had expected Cloud to say something by now, or at least look up in his general direction; yet, he had noticed none of that happening. Zack started to say something else to Cloud, but before the words left his mouth, he heard some rustling from behind him. His smile quickly faded and was replaced by a look of annoyance as he turned on a dime to see who or what was there.

"Cissnei…" Zack trailed off with a hint of frustration at her being there. He moved his hand slowly to the hilt of the buster sword as he slowly unhinged it from his back once more. He then traversed it over his shoulder and positioned it in a striking position, with both hands firmly gripped on the hilt now.

It looked like Cissnei was about to speak to Zack, but she turned her attention to the side slightly. Her eyes widened a little. "Wait…He… he's the other sample they collected at Nebelheim." She spoke as she took one step forward.

Zack didn't like the fact that she was trying to focus on Cloud. He took a defensive stance and held the sword up in front of him even more as he moved directly in front of Cloud.

"Why did you come here!?" he said, raising his voice. "I told you to go away." Zack held a look of frustration in his face as he kept his sword raised toward her.

Worry came over Cissnei's face as she kept trying to look over at Cloud. "Zack… he doesn't look well. Is he all right? He's…" Cissnei's had started to say something else, but she ended up trailing off.

"It's mako poisoning. Severe case," Zack explained briefly and bluntly.

Zack looked behind him briefly to check on Cloud and saw that he was trembling severely again. Cloud also appeared quite pale, and was sweating profusely. Even his breath was heavy and shaky. He could tell that must have been why Cloud had been clenched up like he was, to try and prevent some of the shaking and the pain. He needed to do something to try an help Cloud to get past this problem.

Zack started to drop his weapon to help Cloud, but then he remembered that Cissnei was standing there. He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to leave Cloud like that, but he was not sure if he could trust Cissnei or not. He wondered if Cissnei would actually try to attack him if he dropped his guard. She did seem quite concerned for Cloud's condition with the tone of her voice, and she also appeared to be apprehensive about being there to bring the two of them back. However, Zack knew that she was still a Turk. Zack bounced the choices around in his head as he looked back and forth between the two of them.

"It's because of the experiments, isn't it?" Cissnei finally asked as she turned her head to the side.

Zack snapped his head back to her as he heard her voice. Then he saw the way she had looked away, almost as if she was pitiable. "Yeah," he said quickly, not wanting to take his eyes off of Cloud for too long, though he continued to waver back and forth on the situation he was in.

Cissnei finally looked back up and caught Zack's eye. He returned her glance as she removed a cell phone from her pocket and swiftly dialed a number from it. She placed it up to her ear and waited to receive a response.

Zack was worried what she might actually be doing as he feared that she was going to report them to the higher command. He started to protest. "Hey!" he exclaimed with a concerned tone in his voice and a worried look on his face. Though both of those were for more than one reason.

Cissnei held up her hand as if to tell Zack to stop, and he thought it would be best if he remained quiet there. Suddenly, she began to speak again. "Tseng, I've lost the target."

Zack heard those words that she had uttered, but he could hardly believe them. He gasped slightly as he lowered his sword from being directed at Cissnei. He was in a bit of shock at what he had heard. He thought that she would have turned him over to Tseng, the leader of the Turks, someone whom Zack knew very well anyways. However, she had actually helped him out. He was relieved, because now the decision was made clear of what he could do.

Zack turned his attention back to Cloud as he now felt more at ease knowing that there was at least one more person on their side, even if it was only for now. He tried to figure out what he needed to do about Cloud as he heard Cissnei slam her phone shut after a few seconds had passed. He then heard her speak up again.

"That's how it is… so get away safely," she expressed with a meaningful look on her face as she slowly cracked a smile before turning around to walk away.

Zack stepped forward a few feet towards her to try and catch her before she was gone. "Cissnei… thank you." His voice hummed with sincerity and relief as he felt that he owed her big time for her help. He was thankful that she had valued their friendship in this, at least for now. He knew that things could be different, but he did not want to think on that for too long now.

Cissnei then turned around upon hearing Zack's words of gratitude. She began to walk toward him as she dug her hand into her front coat pocket.

"Here's a present," she simply said as she finally was face to face with Zack and handed him a set of keys. She peered up at him as he was looking right at her again. "If you think you can trust me, then use it," she smiled as she finished what she had to say.

Zack was bewildered at what she had just given him, as he was trying to process everything that was going on. Though, he knew at that moment that what she had done was out of kindness for their friendship, and knew that he could never thank her enough times to make up for it. As she turned and began to walk away, Zack stared after her and wore that familiar smile that he always had, thinking that for once, something seemed to be going right for them.

He then remembered about Cloud and rushed back to his side to see that Cloud was still shaking just as much as from before. He felt his forehead and he was burning up quite a lot, which would indicate why he was sweating. Though, it was actually cool outside, so Zack knew that this fever must be caused by the mako poisoning. Zack grabbed hold of cloud's trembling hands and attempted to hold them still as he tried to calm him down.

"Cloud, Cloud. What's wrong? It must be the mako again. I'm not even sure what caused it this time, but just try to calm down a bit okay. You can do it. Just listen to me. I'm here," Zack stated in a quiet and comforting tone, trying to see if Cloud would be able to calm down.

Cloud started to shake more violently. But this wasn't just tremor shaking… this shaking was Cloud trying to pull his hands away from Zack. He grunted as he tried to break from Zack's grasp, now becoming rather restless.

Zack wasn't really sure what to do as he continued to hold onto Cloud, as he did not want to let him go for fear of Cloud hurting himself. "Cloud just stay here all right? You've never been this bad before. I thought things were getting better but now I'm not sure. Just hear my voice and try to remain calm," Zack reiterated to Cloud once more.

Cloud didn't seem hear Zack as he just became more and more restless, still trying to get Zack to let go of him. He shook his head quickly and repetitively as if he didn't want to listen to what Zack was telling him. Cloud suddenly stopped moving and stared directly at Zack. His eyes glowing from the mako once again. In the moment that Cloud had calmed down, Zack loosened his grip slightly on Cloud, and then immediately regretted it.

Cloud quickly pulled his arms back, now free from Zack's hold, and staggered to his feet. His breath was still heavy and quick paced as he looked at his surroundings. Without saying any words Cloud took off running albeit stumbling slightly along the way.

Zack was speechless for a few moments as he was not only shocked to see Cloud so restless, but also that he was able to get up and run off under his own power. Zack was sure that the mako was causing much of this to happen, but he still didn't know now or why it was happening. After getting lost in his thoughts for a few seconds, Zack jumped up quickly from his squatting position and began to give chase to Cloud.

"Hey Cloud! Come back. You're not well, and you need to listen to me and calm yourself!" Zack yelled in an attempt to hopefully reach the young boy.

Cloud seemed to slow down, but he still ran for a bit further. Zack was afraid that Cloud was going to show no signs of stopping, but then he noticed Cloud was swaying much more as he was running. Soon enough Cloud nearly came to a stop, just back near the shoreline. He stood still for a moment, aside from swaying back and forth. Then he collapsed down to the sandy ground below.

Zack saw Cloud as he fell and increased his speed to catch up as quickly as he could. As he approached Cloud, he knelt down beside him and tried to turn him over onto his back. His heart was pounding rapidly against his chest as he worried deeply for his friend.

"Cloud! Are you okay? What happened? Speak to me if you can." Zack knew it was pointless to ask what had happened, as he knew Cloud would not be able to explain it, but in the heat of the moment it was all that was on his mind.

Cloud's eyes were closed shut and his breathing seemed to be slowing down slightly. He still had a fever, but his body seemed to not be shaking as it was, most likely because he was now passed out. Though, Zack noticed that his body did twitch slightly every few moments. Zack didn't know what else to say, so he placed his arms under Cloud's body and lifted him up into his arms as he stood up slowly.

A faint moaning was heard a moment later and Cloud's eyes opened half way. He stared up at Zack as it seemed he was trying to get his eyes to focus. "Za… ck? You… back…" He muttered his words as he barely even seemed awake.

Zack stared at him curiously at what he had asked him, though he was glad to see Cloud seemed to be acting normal now. "Yea, Cloud, of course I'm back. I told you I wouldn't take too long. Though, there was a bit of a snag, but I'm here now," Zack stated reassuringly.

Cloud tilted his head to the side as he listened to Zack. Then his attention was brought to the waves washing up on the shore. "How… When did...get to… beach…?" Cloud still seemed to be half awake and struggling to speak properly, but he did at least seem to understand everything. Though Cloud's question drew concern in Zack.

"Wait… you mean, you don't remember at all?" Zack asked with a confused tone in his voice.

Cloud seemed spaced out again as Zack started to think. He had just gotten up and ran all of this way, so there had to be some explanation. He wondered just what was happening to Cloud. He knew that it might be pointless to ask Cloud what happened, but he figured he might could figure things out on his own with a little more insight.

"Okay, Cloud, what is the last thing you remember before now? Maybe that will help to figure something out,"Zack said to him, hoping for a response of some kind.

Cloud turned his attention back to Zack finally, his eyes still only half open, but Zack could see he was trying to concentrate. "I waited… Waiting and… wondered where you… then…" Cloud paused between his deep breaths of sparse words. He shook his head slightly as his hands trembled slightly. "Woke here… Did… I miss something?"

Zack started to think things over before actually responding to Cloud. "_So he doesn't even remember me coming back or talking with Cissnei, or anything that occurred from then on. And the way he said that he emphasized waiting...could he have missed me for just that short length of time? Could he just be lonely? Or even… afraid of being left alone? It was definitely something to do with the mako though the way his eyes were lit up. Maybe it's enhancing what he's already feeling…he for sure seemed awake but with what he's saying, it's like he blacked out or something..."_

As Zack untangled himself from his thoughts, he still was unsure of the specifics of the situation. Whatever it was, he wanted to find out so that he could help Cloud. He was not going to give up on him. But for now, he would say what he thought was best to help comfort him right now.

"It's okay. You don't have to wait anymore. I'm here buddy. And no, you didn't really miss anything important. All boring stuff pretty much. But we do need to go ahead and get going," Zack said to him as he looked upon the boy's half asleep face.

"Okay…" Cloud said as he closed his eyes again, now resting his head against Zack's chest.

Zack knew that Cloud must still be exhausted, especially after that little scare just now, even if he didn't remember it. He started walking back to the forest clearing to find the present that Cissnei had left them so that they could finally begin moving forward again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there goes another chapter. I hope you guys are liking these long and detailed chapters lol.   
Let me know if you have any thoughts though! I am very curious.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who have checked out the story this far! Hoping that you are all enjoying it of course! But now we get back to Zack and Cloud's journey.

Zack and Cloud seemed to be making some progress as they were finally on their journey to Midgar after getting out of Nibelheim. The wind flew by them swiftly, blowing their hair in all directions as they traversed a long bridge on a brand new Shinra motorbike. It was a pale grey color with small white streaks designed close to the edges of the frame. There was also a passenger buggy that was attached to the side, which was perfect for Cloud to rest in. It was much faster than traveling on foot as they had been doing, so Zack was thankful to have had this gift from Cissnei so they could continue their journey.

The hum of the motorbike was quite loud, and it was not the most comfortable ride, so Zack pondered how Cloud could sit there so soundly in that sidecar with all that was going on around them. He glanced over to Cloud quickly to make sure he was okay before turning his eyes back to the road. Zack knew that Cloud needed some more rest, especially after the blackout incident earlier. That weighed heavily on Zack's mind since they had started this long trip.

He knew that Cloud was still not completely aware of things going on, so much of this probably felt like a big blur. But he did seem to be making progress, and the thought of this made Zack form a slight smile. The biggest issue was that the more Zack thought, the more he felt that Cloud was scared of being alone, as indicated by his words last night. He still wondered if the Mako had enhanced the feelings that Cloud possessed already. If so, it could explain much of his actions, but this was all guesswork for Zack. Whatever happened though, Zack was determined to keep Cloud safe, and he would not leave him again.

As they pressed on, Zack found himself growing tired of the eerie silence, save for the sound of the motorbike and his own voice in his head. He then began to think aloud to himself, wondering if Cloud might decide to say something in response.

"Man, Shinra sure makes good stuff. I can't believe models like this are still around right?" Zack asked rhetorically, not expecting an answer, but he thought it was worth saying nonetheless.

Zack paused for a few seconds before he continued. "You know, it's good that Cissnei helped us out. This sure beats having to guide you everywhere," Zack said as he chuckled a bit.

"But I don't mind. Whatever it takes. Just be prepared for a long ride, since Midgar is pretty far away. I wonder what all we will encounter along the way. Hopefully not too much trouble," Zack finished his words as he decided to focus on the road more again.

The air had grown more dense as the evening progressed, and there was heavy fog covering the bridge, decreasing the visibility. But Zack was not going to let that deter their progress. He squinted his eyes to try to see a little bit better, the only light being the moon that was being now slightly covered by some clouds. As they kept going, Zack angled his head up slightly to look ahead to the scenery in the distance, but instead, he saw an all too familiar sight. There were two soldiers perched on the top of one of the crossbars of the bridge. But unlike normal soldiers, these two each wore a single black wing, just like Sephiroth and Genesis.

"Not again," Zack said with an annoyed tone, as he knew that there would be no choice but to stop to confront this matter. It seemed he had spoken too quickly about not finding trouble.

Zack then gripped the motorbike harder as he used the emergency brake to lock down the wheels. The bike began to slide at an angle as the sound and smell of rubber burning filled the area around him. Soon though, the bike bumped to a stop. Before dismounting, Zack leaned over to check on Cloud. He placed his hand on Cloud's forehead to see if he still had a fever. He could feel that Cloud's forehead was still warm, but thankfully not as warm as it was just a few hours before. After confirming that Cloud was all right, Zack then wanted to reassure him that he would be back shortly so Cloud would not worry.

"Cloud, there's more enemies again, and I know that you can't do anything right now. So just stay here and stay safe as I deal with this. I will be back. Promise," Zack said to him as he turned around and walked away from the bike.

Cloud had slightly heard what Zack was saying as he tried to speak. "Z-Zack…" he trailed off as he didn't have the energy or focus to properly form words at the moment.

Zack marched forward with a serious look in his eyes, as he was determined to dispatch of these monsters quickly. He removed the Buster Sword from his back swiftly and brought it down to his side as he continued to move towards the monsters. They were floating down from the bridge slowly and almost elegantly, though there was nothing elegant about these creatures. Finally, they settled on the ground as they stood before Zack. As Zack drew closer to him, he suddenly felt a stern kick in his back that sent him tumbling forward.

He rolled for a moment before being able to regain his balance. He pushed himself up onto his feet and turned around to see someone that he didn't think he would lay eyes on again. Genesis Rhapsodos.

Zack tried to think of something to say to him, but his surprise at seeing the man again left him speechless as Genesis started to ease down from the air, his black wing flapping once more as he landed. His appearance differed heavily from when he had seen him last. His crimson red hair had now had faded and was slowly turning snow white. His long, red coat matched the pattern of his hair as it was faded and tattered, indicating he must have been through a great deal. In his left hand was a Banora White or 'dumbapple'.

He started to wonder what could have happened to Genesis. But then, Zack realized Genesis standing between he and Cloud, which he abhorred. He wanted to speak, but his thoughts were cut short as he was grabbed by each shoulder and shoved back to his knees. The two soldiers were both holding him tightly so he couldn't move to attack them or Genesis.

"Get off me!" Zack grunted as he struggled under the grip of the two soldiers. One of the soldier's hands moved from Zack's shoulder and started to pull harshly on his hair. Zack gritted his teeth as he was getting more and more frustrated with everything. "Ow, my hair! Stop pulling!" He couldn't even think of a reason as to why the soldier would be trying to yank on his hair like that.

Genesis did not seem at all concerned with what the soldiers were doing. Instead he began to speak as he stepped forward. "When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end, The Goddess descends from the sky. Wings of light and dark spread afar. She guided us to bliss, her everlasting gift." Genesis raised the dumbapple up into the air before bringing it close to his face.

Zack stared at Genesis with wide eyes as he recited the lines from the book of poetry _LOVELESS. _Though one finally strong yank on his hair drew his attention back to the soldiers. He looked to the side to see that one of the soldiers now held a small clump of his hair.

"That's my hair!" Zack exclaimed. Just what did they think they were doing? Why did they need to have a piece of his hair? More and more questions started to build up in Zack as he glared back at Genesis, hoping for some answers. "Just what is going on?!"

"You were a test subject in Hojo's new experiment," Genesis began to explain as he looked to the side. "A modified version of Jenova's power runs through you."

Zack gasped as his eyes widened. "What? Seriously?!" Zack almost couldn't believe what Genesis was saying. That was what had happened to him back at the mansion? The experiments that were done to him by Hojo were injecting more Jenova cells into his system?

Before he had a chance to think any further on the subject, Genesis flicked his hand and looked at one of the soldiers. Zack looked to the one that held the clump of his hair. Without any words the soldier brought up the hair to his mouth and ate it.

Zack stared as an uneasy feeling of disgust filled his stomach. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. "No way… he just ate my hair!" Zack started to feel more sick the more he thought about it. The idea of eating someone's hair… was just gross.

"Your cells will be my gift of the goddess… the degradation will cease," Genesis explained as he stretched out his arms and his wing.

Zack looked at Genesis briefly with a confused stare as he then wrested his arms away from the grips of each of the soldiers by force. After he was free, he then slowly positioned himself in an upright pose, straightening up to Genesis now. His mind whirled with thoughts quickly at everything that was going on.

"_What is even going on? So we were part of experiments then. But with Jenova cells? What are those exactly? It might be what is affecting Cloud even though it had no effect on me apparently. So is that why he wanted my hair? My cells will stop the degradation? What does that even mean? This is all just so much at one time. I have so many questions but not enough time to get answers, least of all from Genesis, as I'm sure he would never tell me. I guess I will have to find out for myself."_

Zack finally snapped back to the current situation as he lowered his head slightly and narrowed his eyes at Genesis, a look of condemnation on his face.

"You… are twisted," he spoke simply to the man clad in red.

Genesis, however, seemed to have no reaction to the supposed insult as he just stared blankly at Zack before speaking. "The monster has been harvested and can be discarded," Genesis finished, his words ringing with an air of conceited egotism.

Zack was taken aback by those words that Genesis had spoken. "You're the monster!" Zack retorted with a hint of annoyance as he flung his hand to the side and started at Genesis with a scowl upon his face.

Genesis brushed off Zack's words as if they were meaningless as he directed his view down to the side. He then raised his arm in an outstretched position along with the dumbapple as he prepared for another one of his speeches.

"Legend, shall speak of sacrifice, at world's end." As he was finishing his statement, he turned his back to Zack and began to stride away at a slow, casual pace.

Zack stared at Genesis with surprise as he was just walking away without much of an explanation. Zack wanted answers, not riddles. He began following after Genesis in hopes of catching up with him, his sword in hand and down to his side.

Genesis kept walking at his pace, and then subsequently recited another line from his favorite book. "The wind sails over the water's surface. Quietly, but surely."

The last couple of words were almost unheard as Genesis looked down briefly before ascending into the sky once more, leaving Zack staring up with a wanting expression across his face. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth for a moment, upset that he did not speak up to Genesis sooner to ask him everything that he wanted to know. He had let a valuable opportunity slip through his fingers as all he could do was watch as Genesis flew away.

From behind him, Zack heard the sound of wings as one of the soldiers had taken to the sky just as Genesis had done before him. Zack turned around slowly, only to see that the other soldier was still standing there. It was the one that had eaten Zack's hair, but something was wrong.

The soldier began clutching his throat vehemently as he shook his head from side to side. He sounded like he was choking as his voice became raspy and seemed to try to scream, only muffled sounds to come forth from his vocal chords. He fell to the ground while still grabbing at his throat as Zack looked on with curiosity. Zack's eyes soon widened with shock and awe as a gasp escaped his mouth and he witnessed something strange happening to the soldier.

The soldier started to glow green with what seemed like Mako energy. It was radiating strongly from him and seemed to be building up, almost like his body could not contain that much raw power. Zack figured that it must have been what Genesis was talking about with the cells from Zack's body, these Jenova cells. It seemed to be affecting the soldier in a bad way. Before Zack had any more time to think, the Mako energy erupted out of the soldier's body in a flash of green and yellow as it blinded Zack temporarily.

Once Zack could see again, he was even more shocked now at what stood before him. Whatever it was, it was definitely not a soldier anymore. The skin had changed altogether and appeared scaly now, two huge blue wings had sprouted from it's back and at the end was large claws, and below his wings were some things that Zack did not even know how to describe. He just knew that it was not something that he needed to get close to. However, he knew that this monster was not going to just go away now as he raised his sword in an attacking position and gripped it with both hands as he prepared for a fight.

"Zack!" a voice cried out.

Zack looked behind himself to Cloud staring at the battle that was about to take place. But it also looked like he was about to jump out of the sidecar to try and help.

"Cloud stay back! I can handle this!" Zack shouted as he adjusted his weight, ready to attack.

"B-But-" Cloud started to say, but Zack cut him off.

"Just stay clear of this! I don't want you getting hurt!" Zack exclaimed. He knew he couldn't spend too long arguing with Cloud as he knew the monster would not wait much longer before it tried to attack. Cloud slowly sat back down in his seat and did not say a word more. Zack finally was able to turn his attention back to the monster and began his attack again the new enemy.

* * *

The monster let out a finally screech as Zack delivered the final blow. It swayed back a bit before crumpling to the ground. A green glowing light started to come off of the body and fade up into the sky. Zack watched the creature slowly fading away as he placed his sword back on its holder. He had no words to say after that battle. A moment later he placed his hands into his pockets and turned around to start heading back to Cloud and the motorbike. Just as he got closer to the motorbike he stopped to turn around and look back. He only looked for a second before glancing away and sighing.

"Angeal… what do I do?" Zack pondered before getting back on to the motorbike. He glanced at Cloud who was looking at him with the usual hazy, spaced out eyes he had now. It seems his moment of full awareness and concern was gone again. Zack let out another long sigh. "Tell me…"

He started up the motorbike again and drove right past the monster that was still disappearing. While they continued their drive he saw Cloud shift a little in his sit. With a quick sideways glance he saw that Cloud was looking back from where they had just come. He was probably looking at the monster.

"What happened…?" Cloud asked quietly as he looked back at Zack. It was almost hard to hear over the humming of the engine, but Zack still could make out what he was saying.

Zack was about to answer Cloud when he realized he didn't even know how to explain it properly. He had an idea of what had happened to the soldier based off what Genesis had said, but that still left more questions than answers for him. So many questions now… the questions never stopped cycling through his head, and the ride gave him plenty of time to think on them.

"_I wished I would have stopped Genesis to ask him more about these things. But can I even trust him after what he's done? I'm still so confused about this whole 'Jenova Cell' issue. Genesis said that I had been injected with modified Jenova cells too, whatever that means. That report did say that my body acclimated to the experiment, while Cloud's didn't…" _Zack trailed off slightly, but then he suddenly had another realization.

"_Wait… if we've both been injected with these special cells, and with what happened to that soldier after eating my hair… then maybe that's what happens if a host is rejected? Is… is that's what's happening with Cloud? I hope not. I can't let him turn into that. I just wish I knew more about what was going on. Angeal seemed to know, but he's gone now. Genesis only speaks in riddles too. There's nobody… So I'll have to figure this out one way or another."_

Zack eventually stopped thinking too much on the situation, as he was getting nowhere at the moment. He thought he figured out some things, but it was all just guesswork right now. They still needed answers as Zack wanted to know so that he could help Cloud, but the first thing was to get free of Shinra. Zack caught something out of the corner of his eye and saw Cloud was still looking directly at him. Zack figured that he was still hoping for an answer of some kind of answer, so he tried to explain things the best way he knew how.

"All right Cloud, so apparently we were put through a lot of tests and injected with something called Jenova cells. That combined with the Mako energy… I think is what made that 'thing' we saw. And, I think that's what is causing your situation as well, which is why I hope to get you help. I'm still trying to figure this out myself, but I hope that makes some sense," Zack finished solidly as he glanced over at Cloud with his peripheral vision while keeping his eyes on the road.

Cloud stared for a while before he tilted his head to the side. He didn't say anything, but Zack figured he had to be thinking it over, or at least trying to process it. Zack then wondered with the state Cloud was in if he even could understand everything. He seemed to have an idea of what was going on and what he could do, but did he really understand the information that was just given to him?

"You understand that buddy?" Zack then asked. "I know it probably sounds like a lot, but that's all I got for now."

"I… I think…" Cloud muttered as he looked back at the road in front of them.

Cloud didn't say anything else after that for a bit so Zack put his full focus back on the road. Though only a little bit later did he heard some murmuring from Cloud. He tried not to glance too much, but he saw that Cloud was running his hand on the rim of the sidecar and looking more directly at the bike section of the vehicle. Not only that, but Cloud had a small smile on his face.

"Something on your mind?" Zack asked.

"Cool…" Cloud muttered.

"What's cool? This motorbike?" Zack questioned.

"Yeah… Cool…"

Zack stifled a short laugh as he saw Cloud geeking out over the motorbike. "Wow Cloud, I didn't realize you were a fan of such things. Well, how about when you're better, you can drive it. Sound like a plan?" Zack asked Cloud with a grin on his face.

Zack could see that Cloud was smiling a little more than before. "Yeah… sounds fun. Thanks Zack." Slowly after that Cloud seemily drifted back into sleep. Zack almost at first couldn't believe that Cloud was able to sleep that much, but then he reminded himself of everything that happened recently. It made sense for Cloud to sleep a lot, especially since he had a small fever still left.

"Hope you have a nice rest Cloud, hopefully when you wake up, we will have made some progress," Zack said as he revved the motorbike into the next gear and increased the speed.

* * *

The two of them had been traveling for days now, keeping track of each sunrise and sunset to count the days gone by. The sun was beginning to set on their third day since the Genesis encounter as Zack continued to keep a steady speed on the motorbike. He and Cloud had made sure to stop for breaks occasionally to help stretch their legs and to sleep when they were able. Though for Cloud, sleeping came easy. Zack was slightly jealous at that fact as he had not remembered the last time he had a proper night's rest.

Cloud had been sleeping a lot more over those past few days, but Zack understood why. Cloud had that fever, but Zack made sure to have Cloud drink plenty of water and was thankful that Cloud managed to sleep as he had been. Thankfully it seemed that Cloud's fever had finally left him, but he still was sleepy more than half the time. And for the times he wasn't sleeping he was staring out at the land passing by them. Cloud hadn't spoken a whole lot either, but Zack didn't try to press him to talk. Zack would still talk about things though even if he only would get a head nod or a couple words from Cloud. It was far better than complete silence.

Zack glanced over at Cloud quickly, who was peacefully asleep in the sidecar once again. He chuckled at the sight and turned back to the road. The motorbike hummed with life as Zack kept the throttle at maximum speed. They had been on a long, open stretch of road for hundreds of miles now with nothing but trees and grassy plains passing them by. The weather had been fair fortunately, which made their travels far easier and quicker than it otherwise would have been.

After a few more miles had been driven, the sun had finally lowered itself behind the horizon and the moon was starting to peek out from behind a large cloud that had moved in. Then, Zack felt the motorbike sputter a little bit, and he decided to ease up on the throttle some. After a few minutes, it happened again, and Zack looked down and saw that the fuel gauges was extremely low. There was no place they had seen the entire way there where they could refuel, and there didn't seem to be anything up ahead. Zack sighed at the thought of being deterred again.

"Shinra might make good stuff, but I guess they can't make something without gas yet," Zack harped to himself in a little bit of a worried tone.

He knew now that they would only be able to travel a few miles more before the motorbike was completely useless. But Zack was already starting to grow a bit weary from the long ride. He inwardly wished that Cloud was better so that they could exchange roles every once and a while for driving, but he pushed that worry out of his mind as quickly as it had manifested. He decided that it was best to stop and stretch for a moment as he pulled the bike over to the side of the road and parked it.

Zack departed from the bike and slowly stumbled as his legs were a bit weak from not having been on them in the past few hours. Once he regained his balance, he extended his arms high upward and let out a yawn quite loudly.

"Oh, that feels much better now. I needed that stretch. I would wake Cloud, but I know he needs the sleep. It's going to be a long long road sooner than later," Zack sighed, placing his hands on his hips and stared up into the night sky.

Though he had thought that Cloud was fast asleep, he heard the sound of him stirring and groaning slightly. Zack looked over at the spiky blond to see him opening his eyes.

"Hey buddy," Zack said as he walked closer to Cloud. "Did I accidentally wake you? Or maybe… it's because we stopped?"

Cloud stared sleepily at Zack before he managed to bring up some words. "We… stopped. Why…?"

"Well we are running low on gas, and there aren't any places that are remotely close to here. But don't worry, I'll figure out something," Zack said as he began to look around the area.

As he looked on, Zack noticed something that he had not initially seen. He rubbed his eyes a few times and blinked to make sure that he was not imagining things. Sure enough, what he saw ahead looked like a building. It wasn't just any building though, as Zack recognized that it was a barn. It looked to be less than a mile ahead of them, which caused Zack to breathe a sigh of relief knowing that maybe they could have a semi-decent sleeping place that night.

"Hey Cloud, looks like we might have a decent rest tonight. Look," he said, pointing in the direction of what he had seen. "It's a barn. Seems just right for two backwater boys like us right?" Zack said as he laughed.

Cloud nodded as a small smile formed on his face. "Two backwater boys… Yeah…"

Zack was happy to see that Cloud finally cracked another smile. Zack thought back to the first mission they had together as they had joked about their country origins. Zack kept smiling at the fond memories, hoping that one day Cloud would be back to his old self again. But he decided that he could reflect later, so after the trip down memory lane, Zack finally nodded back at Cloud in response.

"Oh yeah! Okay Cloud, let's get a move on then. It's only a short way there," Zack said as he hopped back onto the motorbike and started it back up.

Soon enough they were moving again, and after a few minutes of driving had arrived at the barn they had seen. Zack pulled the bike over to the side of the road and decided it was best to hide the bike in the woods for now. He told Cloud his intentions and helped Cloud to crawl out of the sidecar and to his feet. After Zack had hidden it away, he started walking towards the barn with Cloud with Cloud holding on to his arm for support as he was only half awake.

It was obvious that someone lived on the property, but it looked as though there was nobody around the barn at that time.

"I almost feel bad for staying here without asking, but we'll do what we have to do to survive," Zack stated bluntly as they reached the entrance to the barn.

Zack slowly opened one of the doors to the barn and peered inside. There wasn't anyone else there, but there was plenty of hay filled within the barn.

"At least we won't have to sleep on the cold ground tonight," Zack said cheerful as he and Cloud walked over to a large pile of hay.

"That's… nice…" Cloud muttered as it seemed sleep was already claiming him once again.

He let go of Zack and wandered over to the pile of hay before laying down in it. Within seconds it looked like he was already asleep. Zack chuckled at the sight of Cloud having fallen asleep so quickly and could only hope that he would do the same. Zack stretched once more before he too laid down in the hay, just a little bit away from Cloud.

Zack stretched out his arms and placed them behind is head for support as a pillow. As he laid there, his mind fluttered with thoughts of all that had transpired once again. He wanted to not think about any of it as he just wanted to get some decent sleep for once. He started to feel his eyes getting heavy. He would start to close them and then jerked them back open. He did this a few more times until finally, sleep had befallen him as he too finally passed out for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long chapter there, but at least the boys are on their way. Poor Cloud though is just always so sleepy, but he is at least talking! But thank you all for reading! Let us know if you have anythings, we are happy to hear them!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again now with another chapter of Zack and Cloud's adventure! Let's jump right into it!

Zack stirred as he felt something lightly brush against his nose. He wrinkled his nose in order to try to prevent a sneeze, but it was too late. Zack sneezed and was now fully awake. With blurred eyes it took Zack a moment to remember that he was sleeping in hay. Now it made more sense why he had sneezed all of a sudden. The hay that he was sleeping on seemed to be the soft type of hay and Zack was glad for that. Zack rubbed his eyes as he looked over to his side. There was Cloud, still fast asleep. Zack started to wonder just how long Cloud was going to sleep today.

"Well we can't stay here too much longer. Don't want to bother whom ever lives around here," Zack commented aloud.

But it seemed that Zack spoke too soon. One of the barn doors swung open and standing there was a young boy who looked about the age of seven or eight. He wore a long sleeved shirt and dark blue work pants. He had very light, short but shaggy blond hair that only reached a bit past his ears. He and Zack locked eyes and there was a dead silence in the air. But soon enough the boy started to speak.

"Pa! Pa! There's two people in the barn!" the young boy shouted before running off somewhere, presumably to go get his father.

Zack gritted his teeth as he sighed through them. "Well… there goes our chance to leave without being noticed. I better start thinking of what we are going to say… well what I am going to say. I'm sure I can think of something."

He leaned over to Cloud and tried to shake him awake, but Cloud did not budge even one inch. Zack knew he should try to get him up because they had been discovered, but he just wanted to let Cloud rest as much as possible. Zack figured that he would deal with everything that was coming, as he sighed once more at the thought.

He reached over to the buster sword and grabbed it by the hilt as he used it for support to raise himself up into a standing position. He then placed the sword onto his back and then stretched his arms high before then proceeding with his daily squats. After a few minutes of doing those, he stood back up straight and just proceeded to wait there for the boy to come back.

Not much time had passed after that until a big, burly man walked in, carrying a shotgun in both hands. Upon first glance, the man appeared almost what one would expect of one from the country. His face was rugged as he wore a salt and pepper beard, which matched his messy hair that draped just below his ears. He sported a red and black flannel short sleeve shirt that was laced with buttons, followed by light blue jeans that appeared as though they had been through some work. His feet were covered with a pair of black, laced boots that were layered with dust.

As Zack finished examining the man, he noticed then that the young boy was hiding behind his father as if waiting to see what was going to happen. Zack's attention, however, was snapped back to the man's face as he heard him finally speak up.

"Who are ya? And what're ya doin' in my barn? I don't take kindly to trespassers," the man stated loudly and with a rasp, his heavy country accent making itself known. He held up his gun and held it out, with the barrel end of it directed at Zack.

That reaction was one Zack almost expected, but the presence of the gun didn't startle him, as he was used to that by now. However, he was not sure exactly what the reaction of the man would be, so Zack stayed ready for anything. But Zack slowly raised his arms up in the air, in a manner to try and show the man that he meant no harm.

"Woah now, we just needed to stop and rest for a bit. We've been on the road for three days, and we were just too tired to continue. Just passing through before going on ahead," Zack said as he tried to convince the man of his sincerity in the matter.

"Likely story," the man said with a heavy tone of sarcasm. He kept his gun up and pointed right at Zack. "Two Shrina SOLDIERS just passin' through these parts? All on ya own? You're gonna have to try better than that."

Zack wasn't sure how to really convince the man without telling them the truth, but he knew a man like this would never believe what actually happened. He tried to think for a moment until he came up with a story that hopefully made sense.

"Honestly, we are on our own. Just let me try to explain. We're both 1st Class SOLDIERS, so we are on a special mission to Midgar from Nibelheim. That's why we are by ourselves, because we are some of the only 1st class ones left," Zack stated in a calm tone. He then turned his head back towards Cloud. "But, my friend here has been through...a lot. He ended up getting poisoned along the way too, and we were too far along to turn back. I just wanted him to be all right and get some more proper rest."

The man continued to look a bit skeptical as he then felt a tug on his shirt. He looked down to see his son tugging on him, trying to get his attention. "Pa, I don't think the spiky head is lyin'. The chocobo head there ain't lookin' so good," the boy said with a hint of concern in his voice.

The man moved around Zack, all the while keeping the gun pointed towards him. As he passed around Zack's side, he saw Cloud on the hay and how pale that the boy looked. Inside, the man knew what he needed to do, as he couldn't just overlook someone that was in trouble. Even though he didn't expect this, he knew that he had to do the right thing and help.

"Well, yer friend does look pretty bad. And I can't just turn the other way for somethin' like this neither. Go on and help yer friend get up, and then y'all come on with me. I'm keepin' my eyes on you though, cause it's hard to trust you SOLDIERS nowadays," the man stated bluntly as he lowered his gun slightly, but continued to stare intently at them.

Zack let out a long sigh of relief. He was extremely thankful that the man had believed his story and now also was offering to help. Though that suddenly gave Zack a thought. "_I wonder if he has any gasoline I could use for the motorbike, or at least where to get some. I'd hate to have to use his if he had any, but we're otherwise going to get stuck once that tank runs out."_

Zack spoke up quickly. "Thank you sir. We really appreciate it. We won't be any trouble to you," he spoke with assurity as he gave a softened smile to show his appreciation.

Zack turned his attention to Cloud as he knelt down beside him and started to shake him once again, trying to get him up. He then ruffled his hair slightly as he saw Cloud slowly opened his eyes. "Hey there buddy. We need to get up now. We're going to get you to a proper bed I think. I'm sure that sounds pretty good right? Now, come on, no time to waste," Zack stated as he put Cloud's arm over his neck and placed his arm around Cloud's neck and began to stand up with him until they both were back on their feet.

The farmer then motioned for them two to walk in front of him as he guided them to the house, the gun still slightly pointed in their direction. Cloud lifted his head up and squinted at the light streaming into the barn.

He turned his head to Zack a moment later. "We… leaving?"

Zack kept his eyes forward so he could see where he was going. "Yea, we are going to this house up ahead for more help. Just take it easy for now, I can tell you're still tired," he said as he helped guide Cloud's half limp frame as they drew closer to the house.

Eventually, they were finally standing outside of the back door to the house. As Zack looked forward, he saw the back door flung open suddenly, and stepping to the outside from it was a woman that had a determined expression on her face. She was a woman of small stature who wore what appears to be a long skirt that was colored emerald green with white streaks embellished on the sides. Her skin was a fair tone Zack noticed. She possessed wavy blonde hair that traveled past her shoulders with eyes warm and blue.

Those eyes… they reminded him of his mother's slightly. He then sighed, thinking about seeing her again one day. He looked down and away from her as he almost became lost in thought again just as he heard a loud voice. It was the young farm boy who was running up to the woman, who Zack figured had to be the boy's mother.

"Ma! Look! I told ya they were SOLDIERS! See? See?!" he shouted with excitement as he pointed to Zack and Cloud.

The woman looked at the two SOLDIERS with a curious stare. "Yes, yes, I see dear. Now, why don't you run on in the house," she said, giving a wave of her hand towards the door.

"But I wanna stay. Can't I stay to hear what you and pa talk about?" the boy asked.

The mother narrowed her eyes. "I said run on in the house. And Rowan you better get back in there on the count of three or else..."

The young boy, known as Rowan, didn't even let her finish. From the tone of her face and the serious look on her face, it was obvious he knew was she was going to say. "Okay! I know I know! I'll go inside now!" Rowan then ran inside the house and closed the door behind him.

Once Rowan had finally gone inside, Zack noticed that the look on the woman's face had not dissolved yet. She had turned her attention to Zack and Cloud and stared at them with a stern look in her eyes, as if she was trying to figure them out before actually talking with them. Her attention then shifted to the man behind them, which Zack assumed was her husband and by default, the boy's father.

"Abel, what do ya think you're doin' bringin' a bunch of SOLDIERS to this house? They're nothin but trouble. What are we supposed to do with em'?" she questioned Abel, who looked a bit perplexed as he appeared to be searching for an answer to the question.

"Well, ya see Maddy, what happened Rowan came shoutin' to me about these two sleepin' in the barn. They claimed they were just passin through but I don't know if I buy that. SOLDIERS? Passin through?" he finished as he probed his wife for her answer to it.

"I do agree with ya there, but…" Maddy trailed off as she looked directly at Zack and then Cloud. Her eyes examining them carefully. She took a few steps closer with her eyes locked on Cloud. "Is he all right?"

As she waited for a response, Zack finally decided to speak up to try to get a word in. "He's been through a great deal. Some really bad trauma and he's also being affected by poison. That's why we stopped to rest before continuing on. I just wanted to make sure my friend is all right," Zack said in a straightforward manner.

He knew that he had to try to get Cloud some kind of help if at all possible, at least something to get his energy levels back to normal. He figured that was the most important thing right now, and he was prepared to explain more if needed. He waited though as Maddy eyed him, as if she was trying to read his mind or something. Finally though she spoke up again.

"Hmm well we can't just let your friend keep on standin' out here. The poor thing looks exhausted. Let's bring him in to sit and then we'll talk more about this situation of yours," Maddy said as she actually gave a kindhearted smile. She then looked at her husband. "Abel bring these boys to the sitting room. I'll get some cool lemonade for ya two. And also maybe some sandwiches. I bet you haven't had something sweet to drink in a long while now have ya?"

Zack sighed in relief as he was happy that these people seemed to be understanding. "Yes, thank you a lot ma'am. It has been a while… since we've done many things," he trailed his words as he figured he would save that topic for another time. He then glanced over to Cloud, who was still hanging onto him. "All right, come on let's get you into the house then."

Zack started to follow Abel inside as soon as he walked passed the two of them, his gun completely lowered now, though he still held onto it. He motioned for them to follow him, so Zack paid heed and did as instructed for now. As they traveled into the house, Zack couldn't help but grin sheepishly. He had forgotten just how hospitable people from the country can be, as nobody in Shinra or any cities behaved as such. Thinking of this made Zack realize again that he missed his parents dearly and wished to return to them. He quickly shook that thought from his head in an effort to not focus on the negativity and kept helping Cloud along as they followed Abel a little bit more.

"Bet ya boys don't get a lot of leisure time with being SOLDIERS and all," Abel said as they entered the sitting room of the house.

It was a quaint room with a small table in the center with a few comfy chairs and one couch around it. There was also a fireplace to the right of the entrance, but it was not lit as it was the morning and there was no need for a fire. Zack smiled as he enjoyed the homely atmosphere the room gave. He then lead Cloud over to the couch and had him sit down. He then removed the sword from his back and leaned it up against the wall next to the couch. After that he faced Abel to answer his question.

"Nope, they didn't give us any down time really. Us SOLDIERS just keep going, no matter what," Zack stated with a semi-positive attitude, though the thought of having to keep going did weigh on his mind as he wondered just how much they really would have to do until finally able to reach their goal.

Abel listened to Zack as he gave a nod. "I see. Well I suppose that means you two don't got much time before you'll be out of here then."

"Yeah… Though it probably will be a bit of a challenge for us," Zack commented as he lowered his voice, thinking about the road ahead. Cloud's faint murmuring though drew Zack's attention over to him. "Hey Cloud, how are you feeling now? Everything okay."

Cloud tilted his head to the side slightly. "Hungry…"

Zack let out a quiet sigh. While Cloud had recovered from the fever, he had been less talkative than he was before and that worried Zack. Though Zack had to remind himself that Cloud hardly had been talking since the start of their journey just a few days ago. He figured that he probably had assumed too much that Cloud was getting better when he was at his most talkative just before and around the time the fever set in. Those random spurts of Cloud acting like his normal self had made Zack feel more hopeful than he should have been. He only now really thought more deeply about the situation Cloud was in. It was like he had a relapse and was back to being barely conscious.

"Don't worry buddy, we'll get you something to eat and also something to drink," Zack said reassuringly.

Zack did not receive a response from Cloud as he just sat there, staring off into nothing once again. Zack then thought about what he wanted to ask Abel, but he was not sure if it was the right time yet, as he had just been getting to know these people. He decided to stay quiet for now. Zack and Abel each sat in silence for quite some time before Abel's voice caused Zack to look up at him.

"Ya know, I don't think I ever got yer names yet, with all the stuff that happened before," Abel said with a curious look on his face.

Zack gave a slight smile. "That's all right, it happens. Anyways, I'm Zack, SOLDIER 1st class. And this here is my friend Cloud, also now a 1st class SOLDIER," Zack finished as he pointed towards Cloud and lightly tapped him on his back.

Cloud lifted his head slightly at his name, but didn't say anything. He only held his head up for a moment before letting it down back down to stare at the floor. Abel raised an eyebrow at Cloud, but then focused his attention at Zack.

"Well Zack, ya said yer friend Cloud went through some stuff and then on top of that also got poisoned?"

Zack looked to the side a bit as he knew these questions were coming. Although he initially didn't want to talk about any of it, he then had thought maybe talking most of this out would be able to help him to understand it more. Besides, he needed someone to vent to about most of these happenings, and Abel seemed to want to listen. Zack still wasn't sure if he was ready to reveal more of what happened… or at least a simplified version that didn't make things too confusing.

Just as Zack about to say something, footsteps were heard entering the room. Zack turned to see Maddy walking in, carrying a large silver platter. On the platter was a glass of lemonade and glasses as well as a plate with small sandwiches.

"Here we go. Sorry that took me a bit to prepare. Hope I haven't kept ya waiting too long."

Zack shook his head. "No it's fine. Thank you so much though," Zack said as he finally decided to sit down on the couch next to Cloud.

Abel sat down in one of the chairs that faced across from the couch as Maddy placed down the tray in the center of the table. She then proceeded to pour lemonade into the glasses and set them near Cloud and Zack.

Just as Maddy was about to sit down Abel spoke up. "Maddy these boys here are Zack and Cloud. 1st class SOLDIERS he said."

"Well that sure does make things far more interestin' don't it now? Never was too many 1st class was there?"

Zack had taken one of the lemonades and passed it to Cloud in hopes that he would drink it. Cloud at least was holding the glass, but didn't seem to make any attempt right away to drink from it. After having then taken the other cup for himself, he took a sip and then answered them.

"No, there was only a handful of us. As far as I know now, we are the only 1st class SOLDIERS left," Zack paused as he took another sip and thought about how he needed to word the next bit. "That's why we are sent elsewhere to do the special missions. We were on our way from the last one to another one as we passed through here, and after what happened on the last one, a break was surely needed."

That last part was a lie, or at least a slight deviation of the truth. It was true that Nibelheim was their last mission, and he did see this trip to Midgar now as their personal mission. And there were things that happened in Nibelheim on the last mission, but Zack was not going to divulge that information to save from complicating matters. Zack then took another sip of the lemonade after he thought for a few seconds.

"By the way, this lemonade is great!" he complimented with a hearty smile. He looked over at Cloud and saw that Cloud was finally making an attempt to drink which was a good sign.

Cloud brought the glass up to his lips and slowly took a small sip. He started to nod his head. "Very… good…"

Maddy smiled sweetly. "Well thank you boys, don't forget to try the sandwiches," Maddy said before taking a sip of her own glass of lemonade, Suddenly her face became more serious. "Now Zack I hope you don't mind me askin', but this last mission you speak of. Was that…" Maddy cast a quick glance at Cloud. "What made him like this?"

Zack finished off his glass of lemonade and sat the glass down on the table. "Yes it was. It's why we ended up having to go elsewhere for another assignment. I can't divulge full details of course, but basically, the incident happened with a mako reactor in Nibelheim, which is actually where Cloud is from. It became unstable and that's how Cloud ended up with the poisoning. It was the mako. There's… nothing I've found to make it better, so we just have to continue on. I keep hoping for the best though," Zack finished solemnly, thinking about it all.

He knew that some of what he was saying was a lie. He would just have to keep up with it a little bit longer. Zack reached down and grabbed one of the sandwiches and began to eat it, as he had not had any good food in a few days.

Abel did not say a word, but closed his eyes as he drank from his glass. Maddy on the other hand had deep sympathetic eyes. She placed a hand over her heart and sighed. "You poor boys. I'm so sorry that had to happen to y'all. How well has he been doing though? He looks rather pale, but other than that looks fine. Does he have a fever at all?"

"He did have a fever a few days ago, but I think he has recovered from that… but he still is not fully lucid. I don't know what else to do really beside continuing to watch over him," Zack replied.

Maddy hummed softly as she thought things over. "Well I know nothin' about mako or all that there Shrina stuff, but maybe I'll make up some of my special soup. I don't know if it would help, but it always does good for when Rowan is sick."

Zack smiled back at her. "Thanks! That would be great if you could do that," he said with enthusiasm in his voice. Maddy then got up and made her way into the kitchen area as Zack began to think a little bit more.

He considered himself rather fortunate to have happened upon this place, as these people did seem rather nice. It also helped that they didn't know too much about Shinra or SOLDIER, but at least they had heard of it. Nonetheless, they seemed like good people. Zack was just relieved to be around some people who didn't seem like they wanted to kill him. It was a nice break from everything that had happened over the last few days.

Abel finally opened his eyes and looked back over at Zack. "Hey Zack. Ya said Cloud here was from Nibelheim right? That's a pretty quaint country town. So, are ya from 'round the same place?" he asked curiously.

"Oh not close to there at least. I'm actually from Gongaga. I haven't been back there since joining SOLDIER though, so I'm hoping to get back there one day to see my parents," Zack trailed off as his mind wandered to them again.

"Oh Gongaga, yeah I'm familiar with that place. Been there a few times myself. It's nice and the people there are friendly. I guess that's why we seem to like ya so much. Yer a country boy at heart too," Abel said as he chuckled slightly. "But there's somethin' else I was wonderin'. How'd the two of you nice country boys end up becomin' SOLDIER?"

Zack pondered that question for a moment, but only to gather his thoughts. He already knew the reason he had joined and the reason that he still continued to do what he did.

"Well, after growing up in Gongaga, I decided to go try to join SOLDIER because honestly, I wanted to be like Sephiroth, the legendary hero. I had those dreams to fulfil, and soon I did become a SOLDIER, and worked my way up to the top ranks. I wanted to be a hero to be able to help everyone that could, no matter the cost, because to me that's what being SOLDIER is all about. Embracing your dreams, and protecting your honor… That's what my mentor taught me, and that's what I live by." Zack finished with confidence, as he found his resolve to continue on renewed as he slowly remembered one of the reasons he kept fighting.

He continued. "Now Cloud here, he wanted to join to show the people of his town that he could make SOLDIER. After that happened and we started doing missions, he wanted to be like me, so it was almost flattering to have someone chasing after me. After all, I was the one used to doing the chasing." Zack laughed a small bit, thinking of those times they had together.

He knew it was a lie to say Cloud was in SOLDIER, but it was better than having to explain everything else. He also figured Cloud didn't mind as he didn't speak up at all about it. He just sat there quietly now slowly eating one of the sandwiches.

The room grew quiet after Zack had finished. Then, Abel took another sip of his lemonade before finally making a comment. "Ya know, I've heard stories of these SOLDIERS only lookin' out for themselves and not carin' about people, and I've seen it myself. That doesn't mean they're bad of course. But you two… you're somethin' else. I can tell ya meant every word of that. I have ta say I misjudged ya from earlier. You guys are all right in my book."

Zack replied to him. "Well, that means a lot. You guys are great people, and I'm glad you didn't run us off at first," Zack said, scratching the back of his head. Zack knew they had been good to them so far, and he didn't want to impose, but he felt that it might help to be able to stay there and rest and recover for a few days, at least for Cloud's sake. All he could do was ask.

"So, I almost hate to ask, but do you think we could stay here for a few days? To rest and recover. At least for Cloud in the shape he's in. And, you guys wouldn't by chance have any gas would you?" Zack questioned the man, hoping for the best possible outcome from this.

"Hmm," Abel gave a hum as he looked at Zack. "Now I would not be opposed ta you two staying here. But what reason do ya need gasoline for?"

"Well, we traveled here on a motorbike that I left parked off the side of the main road out there. It's almost out of fuel too and Midgar is still a long way," Zack said as he stood up. He clasped both hands together and bent over towards the man. "If you could help us with that I'll do whatever you need. I'll work around here and do all of the heavy work for you. I'm used to that kind of stuff anyways. If you'll let me." Zack hoped that Abel would agree to it; otherwise, they would be on foot for the rest of the way.

The look on Abel's face showed that he was pondering the decision for a moment. Finally, he stood up to meet Zack face to face. "Well, I'm sure it'll be fine with Maddy too, but I don't see why we couldn't keep ya two for a bit. Ya seem like nice boys."

Zack was relieved to hear that. "Oh, that is good to hear. Thank you. Truly," he said with a light-hearted response.

Just then, they heard a loud scream. "Woohoo! They get to stay!" Rowan's voice came shouting from somewhere.

Abel grumbled slightly. "Rowan! Were you listenin' in on our conversation here?" He raised his voice to shout to wherever Rowan must have been hiding.

"Umm… No Pa!" Rowan quickly shouted back before running was heard upstairs.

Abel chuckled as he turned back to Zack. "You'll have ta excuse Rowan, he's just excited. Not to often we get visitors out here. Especially SOLDIERS for that matter."

Zack stifled a short laugh at the response that he received. "Oh no, it's perfectly fine. It's good to be excited about something at least," he rubbed his head as he finished, thinking that he is still that way sometimes.

The two of them were silent for a moment after Zack's laughter had died down before he spoke up once again. "Again, I really appreciate you letting us stay here. But, I don't want to trouble you guys too much, so if it's okay with you, we can just sleep in the barn. It's comfortable hay, and much more than we would have otherwise," Zack stated in a calm manner.

"Are ya sure?" Abel questioned, raising an eyebrow. "Well if that is the case and you boys are okay with that, then fine by me. I'll have Maddy grab ya some blankets though for ya two."

"That sounds good. Thank you again," Zack said as he held out his hand towards Abel as if waiting for a shake on things.

Abel leaned forward and took Zack's hand to shake. "There's always stuff to do 'round here ya know. So if yer really offerin' to help then I'm not gonna turn it away. Just be ready for long and hard work days. If you want that gasoline ya have got to earn it."

Zack was used to hard work anyways, and he was glad to just have something to do besides SOLDIER work for once. It would feel like he was back at home again. He pumped his fists in the air with a rejoiced expression on his face. "All right! Well, when do I start?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So these are just a few minor OCs, though we have now entered into the mini farm arc lol.   
Hope you all enjoyed! Let us know if you have any thoughts!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some more fun here at the little farmland. Let's get right to it and all!

Abel had been quite impressed at Zack's enthusiasm for work, and he and Zack had chuckled together when thinking about that. Zack knew there would be much work to do but he did not mind, as he was accustomed to working diligently. The two of them stood around for only a few brief moments until Maddy waltzed back into the room, a bowl of hot soup in hand.

"Sorry it took me so long, but here's ya soup I promised ya. Hopefully it will help ya to feel better," she spoke with a sweet smile upon her face as she sat the soup down in front of Cloud. She held it out to him only for a few seconds before Cloud carefully took hold of the bowl.

Abel then turned his gaze to his wife. "Honey, Zack here was just askin' if they could stay here for a bit, and even offered to help 'round the house and barn with chores."

Maddy blinked a couple of times before turning to Zack. "Of course ya two can stay. We'd be happy to help, and that's mighty fine of ya to wanna help too. I won't turn it down of course."

Zack was happy that Maddy had felt the same way as Abel. Though he had expected her to agree, there was still a touch of fierceness that accompanied her, so Zack was unsure sometimes of how she might react. Just as he was thinking that, she spoke up again.

"Now there's a bowl of soup for each of you two. I only brought Cloud's right now, so I'll go fetch yours for ya," she stated towards Zack and Abel as she darted back into the kitchen area.

As she was gone, Zack looked at Cloud to see that Cloud had actually began to eat the soup some, which was a good sign that Cloud knew where he was and was making conscious decisions. Though, seeing Cloud did remind Zack of something that he needed to say.

"Um, Abel… now Cloud I don't think will be able to really help with much since he is still trying to recover. So I hope that's okay," Zack worryingly stated, though he was not going to let Cloud try anyways with the condition he was in. Nonetheless, he did not want to impose too much.

Abel waved his hand in front of Zack. "Don't you worry about that. It's no problem at all. That just means you'll be makin' up for the slack then right? Surely it's no problem for SOLDIER " he stated with flare, almost as if he was challenging Zack.

Zack's worries disappeared as he heard this. He was not bothered in the least that he would have to perform more work. In fact, he enjoyed the idea of the challenge, as he was always looking to better himself. And while there were more important things to be concerned about, for the time being, he would enjoy this change of pace and do what had been laid out before him. As long as they could get back on the road to Midgar and he could help Cloud, Zack was okay with it as he voiced his thoughts.

"Of course! I'm used to working hard, so this will be no problem for me. I'll work as hard as you need me to. I've got to protect my honor as SOLDIER after that challenge after all." Zack gave a sly grin towards Abel, who seemed to be pleased with the response.

Just as the two had finished conversing, Maddy had come back shortly with the other two soups that she had made. "All right now here's the food for the two of ya. Sit down, eat and enjoy." Zack sat back down where he had been beside Cloud, as Abel took a seat back in the chair, and then Maddy passed their soup to them to eat.

"Thank ya dear," Abel said as he started gulping the soup heavily.

Zack took a sip of the soup and his eyes widened. "This is great! Thank you."

Maddy beamed at the response from the two of them as she turned around to leave. But then they all heard a soft voice attempting to speak. All three of them turned their heads to look at Cloud who had just taken another slip of the soup.

"Thank… you. Nice… taste…"

"Well you're welcome," Maddy said as she smiled. "You feelin' a bit better now maybe?"

Cloud slowly bobbed his head in agreement before going back to drinking more of the soup. Zack smiled over at Cloud as he was noticing him be more aware. Zack felt hope inside him again, but he tried not to let it run too far as he didn't know what could happen next. Then another thought about Cloud came to his mind.

"_Oh… What if Cloud has another one of those fits? Should I warn Abel and Maddy about it? I don't want to worry them too much about it… but if it happens I don't know what they will think or how I could explain myself...Thankfully nothing has happened to him since that night before we left Nibelheim… I just hope it can stay that way."_

"Somethin' on yer mind Zack" Abel said as he saw Zack spacing out deep in thought.

Zack snapped himself back to reality. "Oh! Ah… it's nothing. Just thinking about some things is all. I'm ready to work wherever you are."

"Well I say after we finish up this soup here we can head out to the farm. There are still plenty of hours left in the day," Abel said as he finished up his soup. Zack didn't even realize how quickly Abel must have drank it. Abel slowly stood up as he placed the bowl on the table. "Meet me outside when ya ready."

Zack nodded as he began to finish up his soup and Abel left the room. Cloud on the other hand was still slowly drinking up his soup. Though he took one moment to look up and over at Zack. He stared for a bit before he tried to say anything.

"We… We are… staying… right?"

"Yeah that's right Cloud. We are going to stay here for a few days and rest up. Hopefully you'll be feeling better by then. In the meantime you get to relax and I'll be helping Abel around the farm here," Zack said. And that was when more thoughts surfaced in his head. He remembered the last time he left Cloud alone for a short while. Even though he wasn't entirely far from him he remember clearly that Cloud must had worried about being left alone. He knew that this was different though. They were on a farm with other people and he wouldn't be going super far away. But the thought that Cloud could suddenly start panicking or worrying where Zack had gone started to make Zack a little worried himself.

Zack turned his direction to Maddy as he stood up. "Uh I hope you won't mind watching over Cloud or anything."

"Oh you don't gotta worry Zack, It'll be fine," Maddy replied kindly.

"Well… I just want to make sure Cloud is going to be okay. Last time… I left him for a short bit… he almost freaked out. I think… er… after the incident, it's left him a bit more wary of being by himself."

Maddy examined Zack carefully as he spoke. Once he finished his explanation she stood up and walked over to Zack. Placed a hand on Zack's shoulder. "I said it'll be fine. I'll take good care of him, okay?"

Zack sighed a little. He knew Maddy meant well and all and he did believe she could manage watching over Cloud, but that didn't mean he didn't worry still.

"Zack…" Cloud's voice said, a little louder than he had been before. "I'll… be okay. I… I know you'll be… back."

Zack gasped from Cloud's sudden statement. He couldn't figure out what to say. Cloud of course always listened and seemed to understand most things, but Zack didn't know how well he actually did understand them. But it seemed Cloud knew Zack wouldn't be very far and he would be in fact back at some point.

"See now? Cloud will be all right. Now you better get goin', Abel don't like to be kept waitin' for long," Maddy said with a chuckle. Then she stepped away and turned towards the door out of the room. "Rowan! I hope yer gettin' ready to head outside to help yer Pa! Don't think just cause Zack here is helpin' don't mean that you ain't goin' to do any work!"

"Yes Ma!" Rowan shouted from upstairs before he came running down a minute later. He ran right up to Zack and gave him a big toothy grin. Zack could see now that one of the boy's baby teeth had already fallen out. "Come on Zack! I'll show ya around the farm!" Rowan grabbed onto Zack's arm and tried to pull him along.

Zack allowed Rowan to pull him along as he began to walk forward into the direction Rowan was pulling, since he knew the boy could not actually pull him. Zack stifled a laugh at Rowan's actions as he was dragged through the front door to the outside. "Sure thing. Go ahead and show me around little man. Just don't squeeze so hard, huh," Zack stated as he chuckled a little more at the boy.

Rowan turned around to face him quickly. "Alrighty then Zack. Just try ta keep up." He then continued onward into the yard as he kept his grip around Zack's wrist. "Ima show ya around the places where we do mosta the work, then take ya to pa."

They continued out into the yard until they were in a clearing. Rowan had gotten excited and released Zack's arm as he dashed off towards what appeared to be a fenced in area. Zack slightly jogged to be able to follow the boy more closely, and as he arrived to where Rowan was, he saw various animals that were inside the fence.

Before Zack had a chance to think more on the subject, Rowan came up to him and guided him closer to the fence and started to tell him about all of the creatures there. There were many that he went through, but the most notable one that Zack noticed that stood out was left unmentioned. Zack then pointed to the corner. "Wow, I didn't expect you guys to have a Chocobo. Can I see it?

Rowan became even more excited. "Of course I can. Come on," he enthusiastically said as he opened the gate for them to go in.

The two of them traveled to the back of the fenced in area to the corner where the Chocobo was standing. It appeared to be a normal looking chocobo with the traditional yellow feathers coating its entire body. This one however, had a saddle attached to it, indicating that they used this one to ride. Zack stared at it a little more closely as he held out his hand and slowly reached for its head. He was able to find it's head as he began to ruffle its head feathers, which then made him begin to laugh.

Rowan was curious at what was funny though. "What are ya findin' so funny, Zack?"

Zack continued to rub the chocobo's head as he responded. "Well, I started rubbing it's head and I'm reminded a lot of Cloud. I do this to him all the time, and now that I look more closely, his hair looks just like a chocobo's too." Zack tried to not laugh too hard, but he could not hold it in. He knew that he was going to have to tease Cloud some more now.

Zack finally stopped petting the chocobo and was going to ask to ride it. However, as he turned around to face Rowan, he saw something quite peculiar in the other corner of the fence. It had been blocked by a large tree when they were coming up to it from the outside, but it was clearly visible from here. Zack stood there with a surprised look on his face as he pointed.

"Is that… a black chocobo? I've never seen one that color before." Zack started to walk toward it, but then he felt a tug on his arm. He looked back to see Rowan with a look of worry on his face. "Um, what is it Rowan?"

Rowan shook his head slightly. "Only ma is supposed to go to that one. It doesn't like anyone else."

Zack stood there and pondered for a moment before he spoke. "I'm sure it will be fine. Most animals like me anyways. You can stay back if you need to," he replied as he broke free of the boy's grip and began making his way over to the other side of the fenced area.

Zack grew closer to the chocobo, and after a few seconds, the chocobo slowly flapped its wings. Zack stopped for a moment as a thought entered his mind. "_You know, this chocobo and it's black feathers… that black wing… reminds me of Genesis." _Zack looked down as the worries of what he really had to face came rushing back to him. He had not forgotten about the path that laid ahead, but he tried to just relax for the time being. Though, he was still interested in seeing this rare breed at closer glance, so he then looked forward and decided to continue.

After walking for a little bit farther, Zack had arrived at the black chocobo. He stared at it with curiosity, as it stared back at him in the same manner. Zack bent down and got closer to the chocobo's face. Then, it extended its neck towards Zack in almost the same motion. Zack's eyes widened at what the chocobo was doing.

"Are you mimicking me? Hmmm." Zack pondered curiously as he stepped back from the creature.

"Wark!" Zack almost jumped as the chocobo squacked at him before pulling its neck back closer to its body.

Zack was still curious as he just looked intently at the chocobo. He slowly tilted is head to the right, and the chocobo followed suit as he tilted his head to the left to match Zack. Then, Zack hung his head to the left, and the chocobo then turned its head to the right. He then straightened his head back to center as did the black bird. Zack smiled as he reached out his hand. The chocobo was wary at first, but then lowered its head and allowed Zack to pet it.

"I knew it would be all right. You're just a good chocobo aren't you?" Zack said as he rubbed its head softly.

"Wark wark!" The chocobo was apparently pleased as it had yelped loudly.

Rowan was still standing a good bit away as he was shocked by what he was seeing. "Wow, nobody other 'n ma has been able to pet him. That's cool!" he yelled out to Zack so that he could hopefully hear him.

Zack had faintly heard him as he turned to face Rowan quickly and saw he had just finished talking. He smiled at him slightly, but then he noticed Rowan holding his mouth until suddenly, he just started laughing. Curious to see what was going on, Zack yelled out to him.

"Hey, what's got you to laughing like that?"

Rowan finally composed himself a little bit before he tried to speak. "Aw, it's just… seein' you next ta that birdy there… ya both have black hair. So looks like yer a chocobo head too." He finally burst out laughing again as he pointed towards Zack.

Zack couldn't help but continue to smile as he almost laughed too. "Haha, very funny," he said to himself as he finished rubbing the chocobo's head. He then figured that he should get going to do something else. As he was walking back toward the laughing Rowan, he heard a voice call out.

Zack! Rowan! Time to get to work! Come on over here! And go do yer own chores boy and let Zack come do his!" The voice obviously belonged to Abel with that raspy tone that he had.

Rowan was starting to calm himself as he stood back up as Zack finally reached him near the other chocobo. "Well, I guess I need to get to work. After all, I did promise to help. By the way, where is your father anyways?"

Rowan looked towards him. "He's over yonder," he pointed across the way past where the black chocobo was towards what looked like a fresh field. "Pa don't like waitin', so I guess I better get ta doin' mine too. Maybe I can show ya the other stuff later."

Zack nodded to Rowan as he then ran towards the gate and exited it, and then turned and headed forward towards the field. He approached the field and saw Abel waiting for him by the field, who looked as though he had already been working quite hard as there was sweat on his brow and covering the collar of his shirt. Zack then stopped as he reached his destination.

"Hey there. Sorry about that, Rowan wanted to show me around the place."

Abel chuckled slightly. "I figured as much. That boy's pretty excited to have guests like we said. It's aight. But now, it's time ta work."

"So, what do you need me to do?" Zack asked curiously.

Abel pointed out to the field. "We gotta plow that field there, and there's lots of it. About 3 acres worth. So it's gonna take a pretty good bit. Best use this machine here," he said as he then placed his hand on what looked like an older model of plow. " Ima let you do it so you can get used to it, but it's hard work to keep it goin'." Abel then began to walk off. "I'll come back ta check on ya. I'm gonna go gather some wood and I'll be back later."

"Okay then, you can count on me," Zack stated with assuredness as he saw Abel walk away. Truthfully, Zack was trying to not make him worry, as he had no idea how to use the plow. He walked around it for a moment to see what he could figure out. "I guess he thought since I was SOLDIER that we just know how to use everything. Ah well, I'll figure it out."

Zack attempted to use the tool in various ways, but none seemed to be efficient as of yet. Eventually though, Zack discovered the correct way to use the plow and began his work in earnest. He started to till up the fields slowly, getting used to the motions of the work that he was doing. As Zack slowly started to grow accustomed to how to properly plow the fields, the speed of his work increased dramatically. It also helped that his body was augmented as SOLDIER, so he was able to produce results much more quickly than a normal person could.

He thought about going even faster while doing the work, but the pace at which he was working had been comfortable, so he continued the same rhythm. This type of work coupled with being alone gave him plenty of time to mull things over once again. His mind wavered between thoughts of events that had happened recently.

He focused on Genesis and the words he had spoken, about how he and Cloud were apparently experimented on which Jenova Cells. He wondered how he would find Genesis again, as even though he did not trust him anymore, he still had questions for the man that seemed to know everything. He wanted answers on so many things as he continued to ponder and work.

After a little while, those thoughts spiraled into him thinking on Cloud once again, but he tried not to worry too much about his chocobo-headed friend. Cloud wavered from doing well, to then almost relapsing again with the same issues. He wanted Cloud to go back to the way he was before the Nibelheim incident, but that was probably wishful thinking. Still, all Zack could do was dream of it. After all, he was supposed to embrace his dreams anyways, so why not that one.

He then thought of the people that he was helping here as his work pressed on. He couldn't help feeling bad that he had essentially lied to them about their situation, but it was all that could be done at the current time. He also did not think it wise to inform them of the real issues, not that he figured they would believe him anyways. Even for him, the truth of the matter was still surreal. Even so, he was just glad that he and Cloud had found a good place with good people that were willing to help. But he remembered that was the way most country people were, as they were always willing to lend a helping hand, just like him. Just like his family.

Though those thoughts lead him to thinking about something else… his family. Zack missed his family dearly. Having not seen them since he left Gongaga many years previously, he did not even know how they were, or even if they were all right. He never attempted to talk about that topic as it was sensitive to him. He may be a SOLDIER, but he still had emotions. He always tried to act like a hero, like a beacon of hope; however, sometimes, even that was not enough. His thoughts trailed off in his own head as he noticed he was at the end of another row and stopped to survey his progress.

Zack was unsure of how much time had passed as he had been thinking and working, but he had gotten quite a large amount of work finished. Over half of the field had been plowed and ready to go. He did not even feel tired either, though he was getting bored.

"Man, I know SOLDIER work can be boring sometimes, but I think this tops it right here. But, I said I would work so I will. No going back now. I have to protect my honor."

Zack then reviewed the rest of the field. He knew that he could easily finish the next half, maybe even quicker than the first. He took it upon himself to challenge himself to a test to see how fast he could fix the last half of the field. He focused his eyes back onto the plow and then began his challenge.

Little did Zack know that Rowan had been keeping an eye on him, as he was curious to see how hard a SOLDIER worked. He was amazed at what he had seen as Zack showed no signs of stopping, which made Rowan appreciate SOLDIER even more. He became excited and wanted to show his father as soon as possible, so unbeknownst to Zack, Rowan ran off in search of his father as Zack continued to work hard on the fieldwork.

* * *

After what seemed like only a short time, Zack stopped yet again as he had made his way to the end of another row. Before he had a chance to look he heard a voice call out.

"Hey Zack! Come here!"

He peered over in the direction of the voice to see Rowan was the one that had called him, but he had his father in tow. Without even looking, Zack strode over to the two of them as he wondered what they wanted to talk about. After he got there, Abel spoke up.

"Ya know, I only started ya on this four hours ago. I knew you SOLDIER guys were good, but damn this is mighty fine work son! Hell, it usually takes me until past dark ta get this done, but you've finished just before sundown, so color me impressed," Abel exclaimed as he directed his hand towards the field.

Zack finally looked back over there to see that the entire field was completely finished now. "Wow, so I beat my own challenge. Nice!" He pumped his fist in the air as he was excited at having bested himself.

Rowan beamed up at Zack with excitement. "Wow, Zack, you SOLDIERS really are amazing. No wonder they call you the best. I never saw anyone work more quick than pa."

Zack just smiled at him before looking back up at Abel. "Well, what do we do next?"

Abel processed that request for a moment, since he did not expect Zack to have been done already. But, Zack had more than exceeded his expectations, so he felt that he should let him just break. However, there was one thing that he had just thought of.

"Well, there's not much more work I got for ya for today, but if ya want ya can go clean up the barn where you two's gonna be sleepin'.

"Are you sure there isn't anything more I could help with today? I feel like I haven't done enough yet," Zack said.

"Nah it's fine," Abel said. "You worked hard on this one task hard enough to prove yourself. Get some nice fresh lemonade and then relax some."

"Ah, well thank you," Zack said, surprised that after all thoughts of working for many hours on many different things, he only ended up doing just one chore.

"Just be sure to freshen up before supper," Rowan said. "Ma don't like it if you come to the table all smelly after workin' all day. She's yelled at Pa many times for that."

"All right then. I will make sure to do that then before we sleep tonight. Thanks," Zack said as he trotted off toward the door of the house.

"Zack stepped inside and let out a relaxed sigh as he was actually kind of glad that he didn't have to too much more work.

When he got inside and headed through the house, he found Cloud still in the sitting room and now laying on the couch. Though he noticed that there was a small book on the table in front of the couch that was open. Zack began to wonder over what could Cloud have done all day when he saw Maddy enter the room.

"Done with work already?" she asked.

Zack nodded. "Yeah Abel said that after plowing the field that was all I had to do for today. So I was wondering maybe if I may have a glass of lemonade please?"

"Well of course ya can, come into the kitchen with me," Maddy said as she waved for Zack to follow her.

As they walked into the kitchen Zack decided to ask his current question. "How was Cloud? I mean was he okay and-"

Maddy cut him off. "He was fine. I told ya not to worry so much. After finishin' his soup he started to look around the place so I gave him the tour of the place. He seemed interested and all though he didn't speak much. For the most part though he laid around on the couch there, though he did start to read a book. Guess he must have fallen asleep though. Poor thing… he looks so exhausted. I wish I knew about that mako and the poisoning you mentioned, I wish I could help him more."

"Thank you for caring so much, it really helps," Zack said with a reassuring smile.

Maddy then poured Zack a large glass of lemonade and handed it to him. He thanked her once more before drinking the refreshing drink.

Maddy was now by the stove, starting to set up some pots to start cooking dinner. She turned to face Zack again, now holding a wooden stirring spoon in her hand. "Now you better clean yerself up before supper. I won't tolerate smelly boys at my supper table."

Zack chuckled, seeing the fierceness in her eyes when she said it. She truly was a mother who knew what she was doing and would make sure everything would be in order.

"I know, Rowan made sure to inform me about that."

Maddy smiled before turning back to the stove. "That's good of him. I hope he didn't bother you none when you was working."

"Oh no, there was no trouble during work. He did show me around to the animals before we started work, and I enjoyed seeing the chocobos there. I had no idea you guys would have some," Zack said with a hint of awe in his voice.

"Ah so you saw our chocobos. Yeah we got 'em. Mostly use 'em for travelin' though. Guess yer a fan of the feather creatures?"

"Oh for sure. I've actually ridden a couple of times myself in the past when I was a little younger. They're something I never grow tired of seeing," Zack said with a smile on his face.

Before either Zack or Maddy could say anything more Rowan came running into the room.

"Ma! Guess what Zack did today!" Rowan asked excitedly.

Maddy smiled. "What dear?"

"He actually petted your chocobo!" Rowan responded. "And she didn't get all mad at him. She was friendly with him!"

"Is that so?" Maddy asked as she laughed. "Well all be. That sure musta been a sight to see."

"Yeah it was! And both Zack and Cloud have hair that looks like a chocobo head!" Rowan said as he glanced at Zack and laughed.

"Now Rowan, don't be making fun of how people look," Maddy scolded in a calm tone while she focused on her cooking.

Zack spoke up there. "Oh it's fine. I don't mind the comparison, I found it funny."

"Well if it's fine by you than all right," Maddy said. "Rowan have you finished helping Pa yet?"

"Uh no… but I wanna…"

"Rowan you are suppose to finish all your chores first before you can help me with supper. So get yerself back out there."

Rowan's shoulders slumped as he nodded. "Okay Ma." He then turned to head back outside. "See ya at supper Zack!"

'See you Rowan," Zack replied back before Rowan left the kitchen.

"Sometimes I don't know what I am gonna do with that boy," Maddy stated.

"He just seems easily excitable, no harm in that I don't think. He reminds me of myself when I was his age. Though, if I'm honest, I still get excited easily by most things," Zack admitted as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well if he reminds ya of a younger you, then I should have nothin' to worry 'bout," Maddy said as she gave Zack a sweet motherly smile. "Because then I know he'll become a fine young man, like yerself."

Zack was a little flustered by the compliment, but he appreciated it nonetheless. "Well, I'm glad you think that way of me. I try my best to be a hope for others. To be a hero, that's my goal."

"That sounds like a nice goal ya got there. Now you better get cleaned up for supper now. The bathroom's up the stairs and the first door on ya left," she said, waving her hand in a manner to indicate to go away.

"Alright then I will go do that," Zack replied as he marched up the stairs slowly.

Once he was at the top of the stairs, he saw the door and stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind him. The bathroom was quite small, with minimal walking space between the essentials. Zack then saw a fresh pair of light clothes lying in a chair along with a towel and cloth. He then undressed and climbed in the shower in order to freshen up.

It was only a few minutes later when he had finished his shower as he did not want to dawdle in there. After he had properly dried himself, he proceeded to try on the fresh clothes that Maddy had laid out for them, and surprisingly, they were a perfect fit. The shirt was a greenish-blue long-sleeve plaid shirt that felt soft, and the grey pants felt as though they were made from the same material. He didn't expect her to go out of her way to have some clothes for him, but he was glad to have something relaxing for once.

Zack then exited the bathroom and made his way back downstairs. He was going to sit down, but then he decided that he might could help with something else possibly. He entered into the kitchen area where Maddy was to ask.

"So, anything you need help with? Maybe I can set the table for you or something."

Maddy turned around. "Nope, you don't worry yourself about none of this. The cookin' is my thing, and Rowan's job is settin' the table. You just go sit down over there and rest 'til it's supper time," she answered as she pointed towards the couch.

Zack exited the kitchen and sat down next to Cloud, who was still asleep. He was still always amazed as cloud sleeping so much, but he knows that it was not his decision for that to happen. He leaned back into the couch some more and decided he would rest some and would wake Cloud was supper was finally ready. He closed his eyes briefly to rest.

Zack must have dozed off because soon enough it was time for the food as Rowan was in there waking him up. Zack rubbed his eyes quickly and sat up from his slouching position. He saw that Cloud was still sound asleep, so he tried to shake him enough to wake him up. Cloud finally roused up it seemed. Zack tried to see if he could talk any.

"Cloud, the food is ready now. So time to get up, time for dinner."

Cloud sat up and yawned before looking at Zack. "Food… sounds good."

Zack smiled. "All right then, come on."

The two headed into the kitchen and sat down at the table. The meal was far more than Zack had expected, a good selection of foods and vegetables to choose from. Zack almost thought it was too much, but Maddy insisted it was just fine. Zack of course ate the meal as politely as he could while also keeping an eye on Cloud. Though it seemed Cloud was managing just fine as he was eating, just a bit slower than the rest of them.

Rowan on the other hand kept trying to ask Zack questions while having a mouth full of food. But soon enough he was scolded by Maddy and quietly went back to eating his food. He ended up being quiet for most dinner after that, as to not upset his ma anymore.

The dinner was fairly quiet for the most part, as Maddy explained they usually would talk after they ate all their food. She didn't like it when people would talk first and let her hard work on the food go cold. Zack understood though and respectfully ate his food without talking about anything. Though he didn't think he could think of much to talk about, the work did actually tire him some as he was not used to something like that.

After dinner though Zack saw how Cloud was still half awake. He figured Cloud still needed more sleep so he asked if they may go to sleep early. Both Abel and Maddy said it was fine, but before they headed off to the barn Maddy wanted to give them the blankets as well as causal, light clothes for Cloud.

Soon enough the two of them had blankets to wrap themselves with and Cloud now also had a similar outfit to Zack, though his shirt was a reddish-orange plaid color. Zack made sure to thank Abel and Maddy one last time before he and Cloud headed out towards the barn for the night.

After a bit of walking, Zack and Cloud entered back into the barn that they had originally snuck into the other night. As they entered Zack could hear Cloud yawning and watched him walk over to the hay.

"I still can't believe you are the tired one between us, and I'm the one who did the hard work today," Zack chuckled lightly as he also walked over to the hay.

"Can't help... so tired..." Cloud muttered as he closed his eyes.

Zack frowned slightly as he sighed. "I just wish we knew why you were so tired... and what we could do to help you..."

"I don't... know..." Cloud now murmured, already quickly falling back asleep again.

"Figured you'd say that..." Zack said as he let out a heavy sigh. "Well here is your blanket. I still don't think it gets too cold, but it was still nice of them to give us these blankets. And also these farm clothes, makes it feel much more relaxing."

After waiting for a moment to see if Cloud was going to say anything else, he saw that Cloud had already fallen asleep. Zack then placed the blanket over Cloud. Soon enough Zack stretched his muscles a little before he flopped down onto the hay and placed his blanket over himself. He knew Cloud had already fallen asleep, but he couldn't help but say one last thing.

"Night Cloud," Zack said as he yawned and closed his eyes, ready to fall asleep.

Though just as he was beginning to drift off he heard a faint whimper. Zack's eyes shot open and he turned onto his side to look at Cloud. Much to his relief Cloud wasn't shaking or twitching like before. Though his face told that something was wrong. His face was all scrunched up as he looked completely distressed. He shifted slightly as he seemed to be shaking his head.

Zack watched only for a moment more before he came to a conclusion what was happening. "You're having a nightmare, aren't you? Huh... I guess I never expected that to happen. But... should I wake you? No... I wouldn't want to take a chance of you waking up and possibly freaking out. But don't worry, I won't just let you be on your own there."

Zack scooted a bit closer to Cloud and wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. He had one arm over Cloud's side and the other back behind his head. He rested his chin just above Cloud's head. Now that he was holding Cloud in his arms he actually realized that he was trembling slightly. Zack understood that was probably due to the fact that Cloud was enduring some kind of nightmare though.

"What could you even be having a nightmare about?... Could it be involving the mako? Or... something to do with the experiments that Hojo apparently put us through? Well whatever it is, I am here for you," Zack quietly whispered to Cloud.

He continued to hold Cloud in his arms as he slowly started to drift off. Though he looked down at Cloud for one moment. The worry and stress was fading from Cloud's face as he seemed to relax more. Zack couldn't help but smile at the sight.

"Cloud is suffering so much from the mako... I hate to see him so distressed and defenseless like this. But I still am not going to give up on him. Though it's almost like I am looking out for a younger brother. Hmm... I like the thought of that. If I remember… Cloud doesn't have any other family left... so I wouldn't mind being a brother for him. Just like a hero, a brother protects his siblings because he cares for them, and that's what I am going to keep on doing."

After those thoughts, it wasn't too long before Zack finally fell asleep himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all have been enjoying these chapters, I know they are long, but my co author and i try our best on them.   
Let us know if you have any thoughts or comments! We are curious!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I mentioned it before, but this is also posted on my FanFiction.net account, so we got some catch up to do. But now we are almost half way there! Woo!

The next morning finally arrived as the sun peeked through the small windows of the barn. The light was shining brightly on the hay where Zack and Cloud were laying. Cloud yawned as his eyes slowly opened, blinking a few times to adjust to the light.

Once his eyes focused he saw that he was rather close to Zack. In fact, Zack had an arm around Cloud which was why he was close. Confusion fell over Cloud's face as he tried to make sense of the scenario. Had he fallen asleep and in his sleep accidentally moved closer to Zack? Or did they actually fall asleep like that? Cloud couldn't recall anything like that happening. Though the more he thought about it, he did seem to remember something.

There was a dream he had last night… but it wasn't a good dream. It was a nightmare. What the nightmare was about Cloud couldn't remember at all, but he did remember that it was bad. Something that had happened in the nightmare had scared him… but he could recall everything calming down. The nightmare had faded away at some point and everything felt peaceful again. Cloud then had a new thought came to his mind.

"_Was… Zack… Was he protecting me… From… nightmare?" _Cloud thought to himself.

Slowly he pushed himself out of Zack's hold and sat up. The sunlight was streaming in from a window at the top of the barn, but Cloud had no idea what time it was. He thought about waking Zack, but remember Zack had worked hard. He didn't want to bother Zack so early.

So Cloud crawled off from the hay and stood up. He stood around for a moment before walking out of the barn. He saw the sun was still rising so he figured it was probably early in the morning still.

He was a bit hungry. He thought he should probably get some food. He started slowly walking up to the house and stood in front of the door. He didn't know if everyone inside was awake or not. He for sure didn't want to wake anyone up. He hesitated for a moment before decided to at least check.

Cloud opened the door and stepped inside and headed towards the kitchen. When he got there he saw Maddy at the stove. She was gathering various foods and laying then out on the counter. It seemed she was preparing to make breakfast. It only took a few seconds before Maddy turned and noticed him.

She smiled as she walked over to Cloud. "Well good mornin' Cloud. You feelin' better today?"

Cloud nodded quietly.

"I betcha ya hungry, right?" Maddy asked.

Cloud nodded again and made an attempt to say something. "Yeah… I am…"

Maddy held her smile as she crossed her arms and a thoughtful look came over her. "I suppose you also wanna help me cook?"

Cloud hadn't thought of that before. Did he want to help? He wasn't exactly sure… but he thought it sounded nice to help. After all Maddy had made him that nice soup. He wanted to repay her for that kindness. He looked right up at Maddy and gave her a nod, giving the indication he wanted to help her out.

"Well then, I don't mind ya helpin' and all. The boys are still sleepin' and won't be wakin' 'till later. They like to sleep late every so often. And I suppose Zack is also still asleep? After all that there hard work he didn't yesterday I wouldn't be surprised."

Maddy then turned around and headed back to the counter. "Come over here and wash ya hands before ya start."

Cloud did as he was told and walked to the sink and washed his hands. Once he had done that he turned to Maddy, ready to hear what she was going to say next.

"Right, now see that there bowl of eggs? I wantcha to take and crack em open and poor it out into the bowl beside it. Think ya can do that?" Maddy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cloud looked down at the bowl of eggs for a moment, and then he directed his gaze to the bowl where he was supposed to put the unshelled eggs. Finally, he turned back around to Maddy and gave her a slow head nod. She simply smiled at him as she continued to work on sifting flour.

The two of them worked in silence for a few minutes as Maddy kept turning to check on Cloud. He was slow, but he was able to crack the eggs just fine and place them in the designated container. She knew that he would be just fine doing that work. Though, she hoped that she could get him to talk about something, since he seemed so closed off. Maddy decided that she would try to start up a conversation with the boy.

"So Cloud… I'm just curious, but what made ya wanna join up with SOLDIER? Almost doesn't seem like it suits ya," she prodded as her back was turned to him as she focused on her work.

Because of that, she was not able to notice just how shaken that had made Cloud. What memories that he could vaguely recall came rushing back, as he thought of his time in SOLDIER, of his meeting Zack and them having fun; however, the bad memories accompanied as he remembered all the dangers involved, and how he wasn't actually SOLDIER in the first place. As far as he was concerned, he never wanted to be SOLDIER after everything.

He had started to shake more just as he was trying to crack an egg and it shattered in his hand and splattered on the counter. Cloud began to worry as had thought he failed such a simple task, as he did not want to break what he was holding. He decided to not say anything as he tried to clean up his mess.

Maddy had expected some kind of sound from Cloud acknowledging her question, so she turned to ask him again when she saw the mess.

"Oh no, dear what happened? Look let me take care of this for now, and don't worry yerself over it. Why dontcha go and clean up those dishes there for me," she said as she shooed him way.

Cloud quickly nodded his head, not sure if Maddy was upset at him. But he took in a deep breath and headed to do his next task. He walked over to the sink and picked up the plate and started to clean it with the dishrag. He held the plate tightly in his hands and concentrated as best as he could so he wouldn't make any more mistakes.

After Maddy had cleaned up the broken egg, she decided to finish that task as there were only a few eggs left. She still never had gotten an answer from Cloud on her previous question, so she resolved to move on to the next.

"Now Cloud, I heard that you was used to doin' some things lik' this everyday from where you was from. It was Nibelheim wasn't it? I'm sure you was a big help to ya parents too," Maddy spoke as she still had her back away from Cloud.

Cloud was just about to place the plate on the drying rack to dry when he heard Maddy's question. His whole body tensed up. At first he didn't understand why that was. Why did thinking about home upset him? It almost didn't make any sense until a bright imagine flashed in his head. An imagine that was bright and warm. Fire. He remembered something about fire.

A sharp pain suddenly struck him in the back of his head. He was remembering something clearly now. There was a fire… at his home… and not just his home… but his whole time. Nibelheim had been on fire. Everything had burned… and there was nothing he could have done to stop it.

_ **CRASH** _

Cloud was quickly pulled out if his thoughts as the sound of something breaking. He looked down at the floor to see that he had dropped the plate and it was now shattered to bits. He had messed up again. He couldn't do anything right. There wasn't anything he could do. He was useless. Cloud gripped his head as he dropped to the floor in front of the broken plate.

Maddy immediately looked over when she heard the crash. She saw Cloud kneeling down in front of a broken plate. The more she looked the more she could see that the boy was trembling. She bit her lip as she tried to process things. Had she asked something too sensitive? He remembered that Zack mentioned Cloud had gone through some trauma, but she didn't actually know what the trauma was. Was it something that had to do with his hometown? No matter the reason, she saw that Cloud was upset, and she felt responsible for it.

Maddy put down was she was holding and walked over to Cloud. He was trying to pick the pieces up slowly from where the plate shattered. Maddy began to start the pickup process with Cloud as well, but while she was now closer to him, she realized that his shaking was far worse than she thought as he could barely keep his hands still. She was now worried about him a lot. "Hey are ya all right Cloud?"

"I… I'm… I'm s-sorry," Cloud muttered through an exasperated breath.

Maddy placed a hand on his and as she spoke softly to him. "Look, it's alright. Yer still tryin' to get better, so don't worry yerself over it. I hope it wasn't nothin' I said, but know that I'm here for ya right now." She placed her other hand over his and tried to hold his hands still and give him a bit of a reprieve.

Cloud just kept shaking though as he tried to speak, though only sobs were what Maddy hear. Maddy frowned as she became more worried about Cloud's current state. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.

"Come here Cloud. Just try to calm yerself and don't be too upset. It's okay," she consoled him as she used one of her hands to gently rub his back.

Now that Cloud had his head resting against Maddy's body, he could hear her steady heart beat. For some reason that helped him feel a bit more calm. The feeling of her rubbing his back brought out something else in his memories though. Something about this… felt familiar. A familiar sensation of comfort.

What was so familiar about it? Why did it feel like that? Cloud closed his eyes as he tried to think. He knew it was something important. "_Why… Why am… I forgetting… s-something… important…?"_

Cloud tried to calm himself down as he tried to remember. It was bothering him now that he couldn't seem to remember. Then he heard something. Maddy was humming softly to him. There it was again. That comforting feeling he knew so well. What was it? Cloud had to know… he had to remember.

Suddenly it just clicked.

Maddy was a mother.

She was a kind hearted mother who knew how to comfort someone when they were upset. And then Cloud remembered… he had a mother. The important part of that… was _had._ The memory of the fire at Nibelheim came rushing back again. This time though he remembered more details about it.

He remembered his own mother.

He remembered his mother… and that she had died. She had died at the fire that consumed Nibelheim.

His mother was dead. His dear, kind mother who raised him all by herself, was gone forever.

A strong wave of emotions flew over Cloud as he now had remembered his mother. He couldn't even believe he had forgotten in the first place. But now with remembering she was dead… it was too much for him to handle.

Cloud began to sob more and more as be thought deeply about his mother. How he missed her. He missed her so much. Never again would he be able to have her wonderful cooking. Never again would he see her happy smiling face or hear her voice. His mother was dead and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

Maddy watched with wide eyes as Cloud had begun to cry harder. Not only that, but his hands seemed to be trembling even more. She almost had no idea what to do. But then for a brief second she looked carefully at Cloud's face. With one glance at his lonely, hurt-filled eyes, she put the pieces together. She could see the hurt and loss in his eyes and it all made sense now.

"Oh… You poor sweet thing. I'm so sorry," Maddy whispered as she continuously rubbed Cloud's back. "I'm sorry I asked ya so much. I didn't think at first how much ya might have been hurtin'. It's okay though, I got ya."

Maddy hoped her words would get through to Cloud. She hated to see the young blonde so hurt and distraught. She still felt responsible for what was happening since she was the one that wanted to ask the questions. She then reached her hand from his back and moved it up to his head and rubbed his head gently as she brought his face closer to her body. She would stay there with him until he was able to overcome those feelings.

"Don't be afraid to just let it all out. Seems like you been needin' to for a while now. I ain't goin' anywhere until you're better either," Maddy stated with a determined tone to reassure him.

Cloud tried to say something. To try to explain himself and why he was acting that way, but only more sobs came out. But he heard her words. He heard her caring words and wanting to listen. He wrapped his arms around Maddy and just began to cry even more. He couldn't even remember the last time he had cried. But… even though remembering about his mom hurt… it did feel better to let out his emotions.

Soon enough he no longer had the energy to cry anymore… but he didn't feel like he needed to. He was already starting to feel a bit better. He knew it was probably because of Maddy trying to help him. She was a mother after all, and she knew what she was doing. Cloud found it nice that she was wanting to help him feel better. She was doing her best to help him and care for him as if he were her own son.

Maddy noticed that Cloud had seemed to calm down after a little while, but she still held him there to make sure that he was all right. She still had no idea what actually happened, and although she was curious to know the exact reason, she knew not to press on with it. In her mind, she already had a clue as to what the issue was based off the reaction to the last question. She kept holding Cloud for a few more moments before finally speaking again.

"Hey now, I see yer tremblin' stopped, and yer cryin' too. I hope that ya seem to be doin' better now. Seem you was holdin' back quite a bit of emotion there," she said with a lighthearted tone, her soft voice pleasing to Cloud's ears as it showed how much this woman truly cared.

Cloud nodded slowly. "Y-Yeah…" He out a shaky breath after a moment. "Thank… you."

"Aw well yer welcome Cloud. I'm still sorry I made ya so upset. But it's okay now, ya feel better right?"

Cloud took in a deep breath before he sat up straight. He looked at Maddy, who gave him a warm sympathetic smile. Cloud let a small smile come upon his face as he nodded again. He still was pained by the loss of his mother, but he was glad that Maddy was there. It was nice to have that motherly comfort again. Cloud finally felt all relaxed again after all of that, though his eyes shifted back to the broken plate. That's right… he had still broken it.

"You don't have to worry about the plate Cloud. It's all right. How about you just sit down and relax for now? I'll take care of everything," Maddy replied.

"But…" Cloud started. He knew he had now messed up twice, but he didn't want to just give up. He felt bad after breaking the egg and the plate, but he didn't want to let Maddy do all the work. She was so kind and nice and he wanted to help her. After all she did for him he wanted to help her in return.

"Cloud I don't want ya getting hurt or anymore upset. I think it may be best if ya just relax," Maddy replied. She could see it in his eyes though that he wanted t o help.

"I… I want… help you…" Cloud muttered, still having trouble getting full sentences out.

Maddy sighed as she ended up smiled. "Well all right, if ya really want to. Let's first clean up this plate okay?"

"Okay…" Cloud sighed with relief that Maddy wasn't actually upset with him about the plate situation.

The two of them then carefully started to pick up the broken pieces of chinaware. After that they went back to making breakfast and Cloud tried his best to be far more careful with everything. Maddy didn't ask Cloud anymore questions about his past or home after that. She only complimented him for doing a good job at helping.

* * *

A little while later Zack woke up. He sat up and began stretched when he noticed Cloud was missing. He jumped to his feet and started to look around the barn for the blonde.

"Cloud? Are you here? Where did you go?" Zack asked aloud as he tried to figure out where Cloud could have gone. A sense of dread started to fill inside of him. "Oh no… Did Cloud have another fit like before? Did he go running off somewhere? I gotta find him."

Zack ran out of the barn and began looking around the farm area, hoping Cloud was just outside or something. But he still did not see him anywhere. Zack then turned his head towards the house and ran towards. If Cloud had run off somewhere maybe Maddy or Abel had seen him. Or maybe he was just safe inside the house. Zack hoped it was the latter of the two.

He ran up onto the porch and opened the door. The smell of food filled the air and Zack was reminded he was hungry. He strolled quickly into the kitchen to see Maddy and Cloud setting the table with all different delicious breakfast foods. Zack was surprised to see Cloud looking so active as he was helping prepare everything.

"C-Cloud?" Zack asked.

Cloud looked up after he placed down a plate with biscuits on it. He managed to give a small smile towards him. "Morning Zack."

Zack couldn't help but laugh a little. "Well it looks like you are doing a whole lot better today."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah…"

It seemed though Cloud was still not up for talking much though, but Zack let that slide. What he did care about though was seeing Cloud moving about on his own and being much more active than ever before. Zack took this as a good sign Cloud was recovering far more now.

"Well look who's up," Maddy said as she looked over at Zack. "At least you ain't the sleepiest boy here. The other two are still sleepin' and I am going to have to go wake them soon. But you boys can sit down and get ready. I'll go grab them right now." Maddy then placed down her last plate and headed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

Zack took his seat right next to Cloud. "So you helped Maddy out with her cooking? That's really nice of you."

Cloud looked over at Zack and nodded his head at the question. As Zack gazed upon Cloud's face since he was closer, he saw that his eyes were slightly red, an indication he had been crying. Zack figured that something must have upset him, but he seemed better now so Zack was not going to bring it up so as to not worry him even further. Zack just reached his arm out and ruffled Cloud's head without saying a word as the blonde scrunched his face but did not pull away. Whatever had occurred, Zack was satisfied that Cloud was better now, and he had a feeling who he needed to thank for that.

Soon after, Maddy's voice was heard in a loud manner from upstairs as she told the other two to get up several times. Then, steps could be heard coming down the stairs as she made her return to the room. Shortly after, Abel and Rowan dragged themselves down the stairs and into the dining area and made their way over to the table.

"Good thing that yer all here now before the food gets cold. Now sit down and eat up," Maddy stated to them as she took her place at the table last.

As per the custom in the house, the five of them fixed their breakfast plates and then started to eat in silence. It was still an odd practice to Zack as he thought about it, but he respected it nonetheless. Several minutes passed by until they had all finished their food. All of the plates and bowls that contained food were empty as there had been just enough food for all of them,

"That food was very good. Thanks honey," Abel said as he leaned back and patted his stomach.

"Yea it was good ma," Rowan said with a more excited tone.

Zack looked for a moment before realizing he was being rude. "Oh, yea, the food was great. Thanks so much."

Maddy didn't expect a response from Cloud, but she knew that he would have liked it. She then scooted her chair back and started to raise up to take her dishes, and then gather the others so that she could wash them. To her surprise though, and everyone else's, Cloud had stood up at the same time and had put his hand up towards her.

"Let… me help. I… do this." Cloud looked to be perfectly aware of what he was doing, even if his words were stunted.

Maddy knew that there was no point in arguing with him, as he had shown before that he truly did want to help. She smiled at him and sat back down with the others. "Alrighy Cloud, if ya think you can handle it then I'll let ya have at it. At least someone around her is offerin' to help do these things," she said snarkily and threw a glance toward Abel and Rowan, who looked down upon seeing Maddy's expression.

After a few moments, Maddy spoke up again. "Why don't you two go get ready for the day then. Zack's already ahead of ya here," she continued on to them. Abel grumbled slightly before Maddy threw him another glance, and then he walked up the stairs to their room. Rowan stood up, smiled at Zack, and then dashed off upstairs himself.

Cloud had already begun to slowly walk around to everyone and gather up their plates in a stack and took them to the counter next to the sink. Then, he came back to gather all of the glasses, and carefully carried them to the same place. Cloud then began to place each dish in the sink and washed them each by hand, albeit very slowly, but he was being careful as well.

Zack was more surprised than anyone there at witnessing Cloud being more active, but he was content with it. He knew that it was far better than the shape he had been in just a few days ago, but there was still progress to be made. Then, he remembered what he was going to say as he leaned closer to Maddy so that Cloud would not hear him speak.

"By the way, thank you for helping Cloud this morning. I could tell he is better."

Maddy just smiled as she silently said back "Oh, it's no problem at all. He just needed to let his feelin's out and I helped him and all. But he wanted to help too so I figure that'll give him somethin' to do."

Zack leaned back after conferring with her, and then he slowly stood up and stretched, letting out a loud yawn as he did so.

"Well, I guess it's time to get to work," he stated as he started to walk off. Then, he turned back around. "Hey Cloud," he called out as he waited for the blonde-haired boy to turn around. "Don't' work too hard today okay? Otherwise, you'll put me to shame." He and Maddy stifled a laugh out of that as Cloud just grinned slightly, before then turning back and continuing the dishes.

Zack made his way outside as he then waited for Abel to come out to let him know what needed to be done that day. He decided that he would go and collect his buster sword and walked back to the barn. After a quick trip there, Zack walked around some on the way back. He glanced over at the fenced area where the chocobos were as he had a thought. "You know, I need to show Cloud those chocobos since he's feeling better today. I bet he'll like that."

As he was making his way back, he saw the front door open wide and Abel trotted out with Rowan right behind him. Rowan ran forward towards Zack and stood beside him.

"What say ya Zack? Ready to get after it again today?"

Zack looked on with confidence. "Of course. What do we need to do first?"

Abel made his way closer to him as he spoke. "Well, Ima have you and Rowan to do some firewood mostly this mornin. There's a lot to do though so best go get to it," he finished as he pointed off to the opposite side of the chocobo's habitat towards a massive pile of wood that was tucked under a shed. "Just cut up as much as ya can today."

Zack noodled as he and Rowan made their way to the shed area. Zack surveyed the area quickly as he found the chopping block. He started to go collect the wood but Rowan had already started to lug a large piece back to him. "I want to… help to," he said through gritted teeth as he sat the piece down on the chopping block.

Zack smiled at him briefly. "Well okay then, that sounds like a plan. We'll work as a team then."

Rowan then remembered that they were missing one thing. "Oh, let me get the axe for you to chop the wood with." Before he ran off, Zack stopped him. "Nah it's okay. I have this buster sword here. It will cut through the wood no problem," he said as he removed the large sword from his back and grinned.

Rowan looked on in awe at the sheer size of the sword now that he had seen Zack holding it for the first time. He was excited to see Zack used it now as he stood back to see what would happen. Zack raised the sword up above his head with only one arm, and then brought it down squarely on the center of the wood as it split cleanly into two pieces. Rowan was surprised at how clean that was and he wanted to see more. Zack then saw him bringing more pieces of wood and laying it in front of him to work on. Zack continued to chop the wood with the sword, each piece coming apart quite easily. Eventually, Rowan had to stop and rest as he was tired from toting all of that wood, so Zack decided to rest with him.

Rowan marveled at his sword as the two of them sat down on the ground. "Wow Zack, that sword is really awesome. Do all SOLDIERS get swords like that?"

Zack chuckled as he looked at the sword and examined it as he usually does while speaking calmly. "No not quite. This sword… was my mentor's. He passed it on to me, as a symbol of honor. So I carry it now to honor him and my- Oh no!"

Zack stared in horror at the blade of the sword as he saw several scuff marks now, and there was also some tiny chips starting to form on the blade. He had not noticed this before, so he tried to think of what could have happened that caused it. Then it hit him. It was the wood. He had carelessly tried to impress the boy without thinking of the proper sword maintenance. He tried to clean it immediately, but it was not cleaning up. Zack briefly rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh boy, this is not good. Angeal would kill me," Zack said worryingly, as he went back to rubbing the blade.

Rowan looked confused as he wondered what could be the issue. "Um, Zack what's wrong? Were ya not supposed to use the sword?"

Zack glanced over at him as he calmed himself. "Well, it's not that I'm not supposed to use it. But I am supposed to not allow it to get scuffed up, and I cut the wood without thinking. So, I guess I will need that axe after all," he finished as he chuckled.

Rowan giggled slightly as he got up to grab the axe and brought it to Zack. Zack then put the buster sword off to the side as he started back to work on chopping the wood with the axe this time, and although it was a bit slower because of how small it was, it was better than having Angeal yell at him whenever he saw him again.

After Zack would chop of the pieces of wood, Rowan would pick them up and carry them to the wood pile and stack them. They worked together as they got through a lot of the wood that needed to be chopped for the day.

"Zack, yer really strong. Pa could never get through the wood so fast. But don't tell 'em I said that," Rowan said with a laugh.

Zack just chuckled back at Rowan. "Well, I guess that's what happens when you're a member of SOLDIER." Zack then turned his head away from Rowan. He knew that he wanted to keep his honor as SOLDIER, but he was not even sure if that was possible with everything that had happened. But Zack tried to keep a level head about the situation as he kept working.

Rowan's eyes lit up with wonder and awe as he continued to help and watch Zack work. He had never seen someone like him before. While he had heard of people in SOLDIER he never thought he would get the chance to watch one up close. Zack by far was probably the coolest person he had ever seen.

Soon enough Zack had chopped through all the wood that needed to be cleared for the day. He helped pick up the raimined pieces and carried them over to the log pile with Rowan.

"Well, that appears to be all of it so far. I wonder if there is anything else to do around here. It's not even nighttime yet," Zack said to Rowan as they were getting the last of the wood put up.

"There is always more to do!" Rowan exclaimed. "You just got lucky yesterday only gettin' to do one thing. Though plowin' the field was a big job."

"Well I guess we should go and find him then to see what else we can do. Why don't you lead the way?" Zack suggested, picking up the buster sword and throwing it onto his back as he waited for Rowan.

"Okay! Come on! Let's go find pa so we can ask what ya get to do next!" Rowan said as he ran ahead from Zack to find where Abel was.

The two of them trotted back towards the front of the house as Rowan said they could get a view of the whole place from there. Once they had arrived, both Rowan and Zack peered around the outside until they found able in the garden area that Zack had plowed the previous day. They made their way over there swiftly, Zack trying to run to keep up with Rowan. As they approached, Zack noticed that Abel was planting the garden with many different types of seeds, which Zack assumed was for them to grow their own food. He then spoke up to Abel.

"I have finished chopping all of the wood in the shed and have it stacked in a pile now. Is there something else that you need us to do?" Zack questioned the man on his knees.

Abel looked up at Zack and was about to say something about Zack finishing the wood already, but then he remembered Zack was SOLDIER and it should be expected. Then he glanced up as he shielded his eyes and saw where the sun was in the sky. "Well, it's a bit past noon already, so why don't y'all head inside for now cause Maddy'll have lunch ready soon. Then after you can start movin' some hay bales from the barn for me."

"Wow lunchtime already," Rowan said as he looked up at Zack. "Time musta went really fast when we were choppin' that wood, right Zack?"

"I guess I didn't pay attention to it when I started," Zack said as he placed his hand on his hips. "But come to think of it, I am hungry now though. So I guess it's perfect timing. I guess let's go then," he said as he turned to walk toward the house.

"Okay! Let's go," Rowan shouted as Zack heard him running to catch up. Zack couldn't help but smile a little at the youths energy.

The two of them walked until they were at the front door and upon opening it, the dense smell of food wafted by their noses, and they knew they were going to be well fed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for those who are checking out this story, I am glad there are those out there who are enjoying this!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another nice long chapter here for the reading! So let's get right into it back to their time on the farm again!

Lunch time had passed just as quickly as it had come upon everyone. After filling themselves with good food once again and resting for a moment more, Zack, Abel, and Rowan then planned to head back out to continue the work. Meanwhile, Maddy and Cloud were left to begin cleaning up the table and the kitchen. All of the boys thanked Maddy for the wonderful meal again and proceeded to stand up and exit the , before Zack left, he once again noticed Cloud helping just as much as he did earlier in the morning, which made him briefly smile as he made his way out of the house, following behind Abel and Rowan.

Once they were back outside, the heat was bearing down on them much more than before, as the sun was in the top of the sky right now, beaming down on their head with intensity. It was much warmer than it had been the previous days, and Zack could not remember the last time that he had experienced such heat. However, he knew that the work would still need to be completed no matter. As he stood there thinking about the heat Abel turned to face him.

"All right Zack. Ya know what ya have to do now remember? Gotta get those hay bales moved. Need ya to move them from the storage barn to the animal barn. Rowan'll be helpin' me a bit with some small stuff in the garden, but then he'll come to you soon since he practically begged me to stay with ya more today. Those bales are heavy though, but I'm sure it'll be no problem for a SOLDIER," Abel said with a snarky grin. "Now go get to it." He then turned his back and walked back toward the garden with Rowan, as there was much more to be planted in the field that Zack had plowed for them.

"Sure thing," Zack replied quickly. "I'll make sure to get it all done for you."

Zack was about to walk away when he heard Rowan call out for him. "I'll be over there soon. Just don't do it all before I can see ya work," he shouted with excitement as he turned away from Zack and went off to follow his father.

Zack chuckled as he then made his trip over to the barn where the hay was stored. It was located slightly to the side of the barn where he and Cloud had slept, but it was still a good minute walk away at his pace.. It appeared as though he would be alone for a portion of the time there, so he knew the only thing that he could do is just work to make the time pass by quickly. After a few minutes of walking, he had finally arrived. Zack entered through the barn doors and looked toward the back of the area, and that was where he saw the hay bales that Abel had mentioned, and there were many more than he originally thought.

Zack picked up one of the bales to test to see the weight of it, and discovered that it felt the same as the buster sword. He chuckled slightly at that fact, as he knew that the buster sword was quite easy to swing around, so he should have no issue with the hay bales.

"Man, this will be a piece of cake. But, I guess I better start slow at first, just to get the feel of things. Of course, Rowan wants to help too, so I guess I need to leave a little bit for him to help with as well," Zack commented out loud before then reaching down to pick up some bales.

Zack started with one in each hand as he began to carry them to the other barn. For a normal person, he imagined that this would be a chore; but for him, having his SOLDIER enhancements, the task was simple. He carried the two bales and placed them where they needed to go in the barn, and then returned to grab some more. After several trips of doing this, the task had become almost automatic to Zack, which allowed him to daydream some as he worked, seeing as he was all by himself for the time.

"_This has been quite the experience. I never expected to find such… normal people. At least not after everything that had happened. This is certainly relaxing after all that we had been through, and it does seem to be helping Cloud with his issues as well. Though, I know that we will have to get back on the road in probably at least a day, as that was the agreement here."_

His thoughts momentarily ceased after that thought, of knowing that they would soon have to brave the dangers of facing down Genesis once again, not to mention having to get away from Shinra. Zack worried about Cloud's condition in dealing with all of it too. He stopped moving for a time as he allowed himself to just stand there in silence. His mind started racing with many doubts and worries, which he kept hidden from everyone else, as those were his demons to face. He knew those things would come to pass at some point, but he still worried. After several minutes of pondering, he knew he had to snap out of the daze and clear his mind.

Zack closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling at a slow pace as he calmed his wandering mind. Suddenly, his mind drifted to a small quaint church in the sector 5 slums of Midgar. Inside, the floor was dusty all around, except for one spot in front of the altar where there was a small flower bed growing from the ground beneath the broken floorboards. The flowers would be illuminated by the light that shone down from the recent hole in the roof, which he had made when he crash landed there. But the light would also shine on the one person who would stay there more often than not, the person that Zack wanted to desperately see again, and the person that was waiting for his return.

Zack felt a smile crept across his face, as he remembered not only the good memories he had, but also his primary reasoning for doing all of this. "Aerith… I will find you. Just you wait for me."

Zack opened his eyes as he felt renewed once more and started to work again. He worked at a more brisk pace now as he knew that he had wasted time, and he wanted to get as much done before Rowan was to come over, while making sure to leave some work for him. Zack repeated the same process many times as time slipped away from him.

* * *

Soon he heard a voice call out to him. "Zack! I finally made it."

Zack looked up to see Rowan approaching him quickly. "Well hi there. You must have finished helping your father early then. It hasn't been that long yet I thought," Zack said, unsure if he was actually right or not.

Rowan cocked his head sideways and then pointed up. "Where's yer head at? It's already been at least four hours since ya left to head over here. See the sun is all the way over there now," he said, pointing his finger just above the trees in the background.

"Well, I guess I just got so involved with my work the time slipped away," he admitted to himself and to Rowan as he stared up at the sky. He then turned his eyes back to Rowan. "But hey, I made sure to leave some for you to do since you wanted to watch me. Ready to get to it?"

Rowan's eyes went wide. "Alright that sounds good. I wanna see what a SOLDIER can do!"

"Okay but just to be sure we're clean, why don't you pick up some of the stray pieces since these bales are too heavy, and you can still be able to watch."

Rowan nodded at Zack's request and began his new task immediately. Zack then continued to carry bales of hay repeatedly. Admittedly, he was tiring slightly from all of the lifting, but Zack knew in his mind that this was also good endurance training as well. He then started to throw the bales where they needed to go, as a way to test his strength to make sure he did not lose his shine. Upon seeing this feat, though not a great feat according to SOLDIER standards, Rowan was in awe at how strong Zack was as Zack kept throwing the bales as if they weighed nothing. Before too long, another hour had passed as the sun was starting to travel farther down the horizon.

As he was continuing to work at a steady pace, Zack had just thrown another set of bales into the barn on top of what he had already placed there, as he was going to stack them as high as possible to save space. When he turned around to walk back to grab some more, he noticed Rowan was staring at him with eyes full of wonder. Zack tilted his head as he was curious as to what was on the young boy's mind.

"What's grabbing your attention Rowan? Is there something on me?" Zack questioned.

Rowan stood for a few seconds until he processed that Zack had spoken to him. "Oh...um…", he stuttered while trying to gather his words. "It's just that yer so strong and cool! Pa has a hard time takin' two of those so he usually only carries one at a time. But it's no problem for a SOLDIER!" he exclaimed, his voice getting louder as he spoke.

Zack leaned his head back as he smiled and then laughed heartily. He was surprised at how such a small task was impressing Rowan, but he thought it was funny nonetheless.

"Well, there are perks to being a SOLDIER. So this is nothing for me," Zack stated as he had suppressed his amusement at the situation.

Rowan almost didn't let Zack finish before speaking again. "That's so cool. When I get older I wanna be SOLDIER like you Zack. I can help people and be strong and do all those cool things you do!" he admitted, the excitement on his face showing.

Those words made Zack stop though. The smile started to fade from his face as he turned quickly so Rowan would not see that change on his face. Zack was not sure how to respond to what Rowan had just said, considering everything that had happened since Zack joined SOLDIER. He was glad to be a SOLDIER, as it allowed him many opportunities he would have otherwise not had. He was also able to meet many people he learned to care for, such as Angeal, who was the one that taught him of his honor and protecting it. It's what Zack lived by.

However, the other side of things is darker. He remembered when Angeal and Genesis deserted, and how they both ended up becoming 'monsters' in a way. He recalled what happened to Sephiroth as well and what he had done, which led to he and Cloud being experimented on. After thinking for a bit more, he remembered what he told to Cloud too, about what SOLDIER really is.

His once lofty ideals of SOLDIER being so great, just as Cloud and Rowan thought, had crumbled from the face of reality. In fact, he was not much SOLDIER anymore when he thought about it, as they were on the run from Shinra in the first place. Zack did not want to upset Rowan though with that much truth, but he could not just encourage him to continue down that path either. Though, he knew that the choice would ultimately be his to make.

Zack started hearing a voice, as if someone was calling out his name. It started to get louder and louder until he heard it clearly. "Zack!" It was a small voice, Rowan's voice, that had called to him. Zack had drifted off into his thoughts after hearing what Rowan had said before. After realizing where he was, Zack turned back around to face Rowan, with a face of indifference. He knew what he had to say.

"Listen… about SOLDIER. It's true that it makes you great, for the most part. But, there are things about it that are not so good either. I've seen a lot, and so has Cloud. I don't regret joining, but…" he trailed off as he tried to think of words to say before seeing Rowan's confused look at hearing what Zack was saying.

"Whatdya mean Zack? I thought it was good to be SOLDIER like you?" he asked, trying to make sense of what he had heard.

Zack looked off to the side. He couldn't be all harsh to the boy about it. After all, he knew that people should embrace their dreams, just as he had been told. He had to find some way of letting him know without saying too much. He then continued.

"Well, not everyone that joins is there to help. Some just have their own selfish reasons for doing it. It was always my dream to be a hero, and that's why I joined. But not everyone is like me," Zack stated as he tried to make it all sound better for Rowan. He then patted him on the head slightly. "Just be careful if you do. I'm sure that you would make a fine one if you did," Zack said as he tried to smile reassuringly.

Rowan then smiled back at understanding that last part of what Zack was saying. "Yea, I would wanna be like you fer sure. Thanks Zack!"

Zack sighed of relief as he was glad that Rowan was able to understand all of that, even if it was not easy. He hoped that things would be all right and that the boy would make a good decision. But, he knew that they should get back to work as well with what little time was left in the day.

"All right then. Why don't we get back to work now," Zack said as he picked up two more bales and started to carry them. Rowan nodded at him as he kept following him and picking up the stray hay that was falling from the bales.

* * *

Dinner time was approaching quickly, and Cloud was getting ready to help Maddy once again with everything in the kitchen. Besides helping with breakfast and lunch, he had been laying down most of the day, as he was still tired. He wanted to do more, to help more; but, he tried to understand that he was limited at the moment. He slowly raised his body up into a sitting position on the couch, and then threw his feet onto the floor. After sitting for a few seconds, he then was able to stand up properly and started towards the kitchen. He heard Maddy in the kitchen already and dragged himself through the doorway.

She heard his feet scuff across the floor and turned to see him standing there. "Well hey there Cloud. You musta had a good nap there. Maybe yer feelin' better now," she said as she gave him a warm smile and waited for his response.

He nodded his head slowly, indicating that she was indeed correct as he then tried to speak. "I… ready… to help." The words came out in pieces as usual, but his intention was clear. He moved forward to get a closer look at something he could do.

However, Maddy then held up her hand and placed it on his shoulder. "Look, I know you wanna help. I'm glad ya have here recently and you've done good. I like yer help, but you've been workin' hard despite the shape yer in. Now, why dontcha go outside for some fresh air and relax and let me handle this. I won't take no for an answer neither," she pronounced with a stern look on her face, indicating that she was serious.

"But… I thought you… liked help," Cloud said with a dejected tone as he looked down at the floor now. He only wanted to help, but now he felt as though that his help was not wanted.

Maddy moved her hand to his chin and picked it up so that she could look him in the eye. "I do want yer help. And you've done good like I said. I just want ya to take a break tonight. You can help again in the mornin' okay?"

Cloud pondered for a moment before he finally understood. "Okay," he said quietly as he turned around and headed out of the kitchen. Cloud moved through the house until he had finally reached the front door and opened it to walk outside. Once he was outside, he could tell that the sun was starting to set slowly. He surveyed the surroundings quickly as he tried to take in everything that was there around him. He looked at the sunset for a little while, noticing the beauty of it as it caused the sky to contrast in different colors.

He then looked away and spotted Zack over across at the barn. He thought that maybe he could help him do something, even though Maddy had told him to relax, so he started to walk towards that direction. It took Cloud a few minutes to make his way there, as he was slow with his body still being weak. However, he finally made it, but he did not see anyone there. He started to look around to each side and finally spotted Zack, who was over at another barn area. He noticed that Zack was starting to head back towards the barn they had slept in, so he decided to just wait there for him.

"Hey Cloud!" Zack called out as he noticed Cloud standing there after he had moved closer to the barn. Zack decided that he would put the last of those bales up before going to meet with Cloud. He threw them up into the barn just like with the others, and then he walked over to where cloud was standing. "What are you doing out here?" Zack asked with a grin on his face.

Cloud started to speak and noticed Rowan running up behind Zack, and he spoke before Cloud could utter a single word. "Well hey Cloud. Whatcha doin' out here? Wasn't ya helpin' ma with the food?" the boy asked with curious eyes.

"She said… come out here. That I… need relaxing," Cloud uttered with broken words, but Zack was able to understand what he meant though, as did Rowan.

Zack understood now, and he assumed also that Cloud probably wanted to try to help there. But Zack knew there was no task that Cloud would probably be able to easily do at the moment. He agreed with Maddy and still felt that Cloud needed to rest and relax, which would help him get better by the time they had to get back on the road. He stood there and thought for a moment of something that they could do, because he knew that Cloud would not want to be without something to do when he was there around them. He then remembered what he wanted to show Cloud from yesterday.

"Well, most of the work over here is finished, and I'm sure Abel won't mind if I take it easy for the rest of the day. In fact, there was actually something I wanted to show you. Why don't you follow me," he suggested to Cloud as he walked past him, expecting Cloud to follow right behind. He knew he didn't have to ask Rowan as he figured the boy would follow him anyways.

They began walking back towards the house in silence. Zack made sure not to walk too fast so that Cloud could keep up with him. It wasn't that he thought Cloud would get lost, but he just wanted to make sure he was close by while he was there if something were to happen. They came to a fenced in area and turned there by it and headed down the fence until they had reached the gate. Zack waited until Cloud was there at the gate, and he then pointed his finger over it at what was inside.

"See that Cloud? It's a chocobo. I found them yesterday and thought you would like to see. You wanna go inside to see them?" he asked, not knowing what Cloud might say, but he was hoping that he would agree.

Cloud slowly nodded his head at the idea, and with that confirmation, Zack opened the gate and traveled inside, Cloud and Rowan in tow. They all made their stride over to the yellow-feathered chocobo to visit with it. Once they had gotten there, Zack once again waited on Cloud, who upon approaching the animal, seemed intrigued by it. Zack held out his hand and eased it toward the bird, who allowed it to pet him. Zack then looked over at Cloud.

"I thought that you might want to try this. It's something relaxing after all. Here, you give it a try to pet him. Don't worry, he won't bite," Zack suggested as he moved back and pushed Cloud forward slightly and moved back to stand beside Rowan.

Cloud stared at the chocobo with indifference, and then he started to ease his hand toward it. The bird just stared back at him as his hand became closer to it, but the chocobo did not turn away or even move as Cloud's hand made contact with its head. Cloud began to rub the head of the chocobo softly as a smile formed on his face. As he stood there petting the bird, he heard some snickering from behind, and he glanced to the side to see Zack and Rowan almost at the point of laughing, which made Cloud curious.

"What's… funny?" he asked slowly, as he was confused and interested in what was going on while he continued to rub the chocobo's head.

Zack was able to stifle his laughter for a moment to be able to provide an answer.

"Well, I made a joke yesterday about the chocobo feathers, which is why I wanted you to see it. And… now that you're next to it, it looks like you really are a chocobo head Cloud," Zack uttered as he started laughing hard at the sight, as Rowan soon joined in.

Cloud stared at them for a moment, and then he looked back to the chocobo. He examined the feathers on it for a moment, before his smile grew a bit wider and he chuckled slightly. "Hehe… good one… Zack." Cloud then glanced to the side and saw the other chocobo there, which was the black one. He then looked back at Zack quickly and spoke up again. "Hey Zack… the black one… looks like you," Cloud admitted as he kept the grin on his face.

Zack was almost surprised that Cloud was able to respond in that manner, but he was proud to see that Cloud must have been feeling better to be able to actually have a sense of humor again. The three of them continued to enjoy the banter together. After a few more seconds, they had finally calmed down slightly as Cloud had walked back over to join them. Just then, they heard a familiar voice call out.

"Ah, I figured that's where I'd find you boys."

They looked back to see the voice belonged to Abel as he started to walk towards them. "I could hear the laughter from the house as I was headin' in. Somethin' musta been real funny."

Rowan ran up to his dad and grinned. "We was talkin' about how both of them are chocobo heads. Look!," he said, pointing to the two of them.

Abel glanced over at the chocobos and then over to Zack and Cloud. He started to smile slightly. "Well I guess yer right. That's pretty funny there," he trailed off quickly.

After Abel had spoken, Zack then walked up to him. "Hey, I hope it was okay that I stopped a bit early since Cloud had come outside. I wanted to show him this to relax some," Zack said as he placed his hands together and bowed his head.

"Nah, that's fine Zack. It looks like ya got most of it done anyways, which is way more than I coulda done already. You've earned yerself a break," Abel replied calmly, which eased Zack's worries about the situation. "Now, why don't we all head inside and see what Maddy's got going. It should be almost dinner time now."

The three of them nodded in unison. They were all hungry from the seemingly long day, so they followed Abel to the house. They wondered what kind of food would be served this time as they walked inside the house. Once they were inside, Zack, Abel, and Rowan each took turns cleaning up, since Maddy did not want them to be smelly at the table at night. Cloud walked over to the table and took a seat and then waited. After many minutes had passed and the boys were all cleaned up, they each came and sat down at the table as Maddy set the last of the food down and took a seat herself. There was some chatter between the five of them before they started to eat, but once the food was served, silence fell over the table as was the custom.

Once dinner was over, they each thanked Maddy for the meal once again and proceeded to relax. Cloud, however, stayed and offered to help Maddy in the kitchen. Abel decided to turn in for bed early, and Rowan scurried off to his room. Zack decided that he was going to go out to the barn to sleep, as the days events had actually made him more tired than he expected. He bid them goodnight as he made his way out there. However, once he was there, he found that he was not able to even doze off, so he just laid there and tried to space out, but there were some thoughts that kept entering his mind.

"_Well, tomorrow is supposed to be the last day that we are here, and then we will head out. You know, I've actually enjoyed the time here, as it was a break from so much stress. Though I know that we can't really ignore what's to come, and I want to get back to Midgar as soon as possible. Though… I think of Cloud handling this. He seems to be quite comfortable there. And with the shape that he's in right now, it seems that a family is what he needs. Maybe… maybe he would be better off staying here with them so he doesn't get in any more danger. After all, I'm sure they wouldn't mind him staying. I just don't know…"_

Zack's mind finally started to drift off once he got through all of those thoughts. He closed his eyes as he wanted to try to sleep, but just as he did, he heard some rustling of dirt and then a quaint voice.

"Hey… Zack. You… asleep?"

It was Cloud. Zack opened his eyes and turned his head to face Cloud, who was standing just inside the barn door. "Oh not yet. I thought I could sleep already, but I guess I'm just wired. Thinking about a lot of things you know. The road ahead for us... " Zack trailed off on that last part and fell silent for a moment.

"Ah… Okay. That's good..." Cloud said as he nodded slightly.

He then made his way over to the hay pile and laid down. Soon after he wrapped one of the blankets around him and closed his eyes. "I'm… tired though…"

Cloud speaking again brought Zack's mind back to the present as he then stared up at the roof of the barn. He wasn't sure what to say at the moment though, but he tried to make some small talk at least.

"Yea, I figure that you are. You need all the rest you can get. I'm sure you'll be asleep before I am, but I'll be here so don't worry," Zack said calmly as he continued to gaze upward.

Cloud hummed in response as he was already falling fast asleep once again. Cloud's whole body relaxed and soon the only think Zack heard was the steady breathing from Cloud. Zack thought maybe now he could finally fall asleep himself, so he closed his eyes and hoped to drift off.

But he then heard a change in Cloud's breathing. Zack opened his eyes to see that Cloud was looking distressed again, just like before. This time though, Cloud was shaking far more visibility that the night prior.

This always seemed to happen at night, and usually after he tried to sleep. It seemed as though the nightmares was something that would plague Cloud for a while. Zack was worried yet again about him, as he moved closer to Cloud to see what he could do to help. Zack gently put his arm around Cloud's back and tried to hold him close.

"It's okay Cloud, I'm here. You know I will always be here for you. I promised you that I would. Just try to calm down and sleep peacefully," Zack spoke in a calm manner in hopes of helping Cloud to quit shaking and stabilize his breathing. He hoped for Cloud to feel his presence.

Within just a few short minutes, Cloud started to relax again. The trembling stopped and his face smoothed out to a calm relaxed face. He was now back to breathing normally and seemingly sleeping peacefully.

"Thank… you… Zack…" Cloud muttered sleepily without opening his eyes or anything else. He may have been asleep, but Zack figured Cloud knew it was him who was comforting him.

Zack was relieved at hearing that, as he then slowly retracted himself from Cloud and made himself comfortable again in the hay. As he lay there silent for a moment, suddenly, Zack clapped each side of his face with his hands. "No, Zack what are you thinking before," he said aloud to himself, but did not say anymore, as he didn't want Cloud to suddenly wake up and hear what he was saying. He settled back to thinking to himself.

"_I couldn't leave Cloud here. I can't believe I even thought that. I made him a promise that I would look out for him, and he's my best friend. How could I protect my honor if I dishonor that one promise to him. And I know that he would want to go with me anyways. I can't… I won't leave him." _He then paused as he thought for a little more_. "But, he does seem to be doing much better. Maybe we could just stay here for a little while longer before heading out. I suppose it's better than being on the road too. It's for Cloud to get better after all. All right. I'll ask them in the morning if something like that is okay."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for checking out this story so far! I really hope you are all enjoying it!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Time for another chapter. And now at chapter 9 we are half way to catching up to the FanFiction version! Woo!

The morning arrived quickly as Zack fluttered his eyes open to see sunlight once again beaming through the barn windows. He laid there for a time and just spaced out, looking up at the roof of the barn once again as he knew that he would eventually have to start the day. Though, he didn't know exactly what time it was. He cocked his head to the side and saw that Cloud was still sleeping beside him, and he appeared to be calm as well, which was a good sign that nothing else seemed to have happened through the night. He was at ease knowing that Cloud was resting well so he did not want to bother him.

After turning back to the front, Zack suddenly remembered what he needed to do this morning. "_Oh that's right. I need to ask them about staying here for a bit longer. To help Cloud of course." _Zack then raised his knees to his chest and sprung up from they hay and directly onto his feet. Before he started to exit the barn, he performed some squats in order to get his body moving. After a few minutes of exercises, he then stopped and walked out of the barn and up to the house, hoping that one of them was awake already.

Zack had made it to the house and opened the door to go inside. He walked in and looked around for a moment until he saw Maddy seemingly relaxin in the living area. He then walked over to her as she raised her head to look at him.

"Well good mornin' Zack, yer up quite early then. Guess yer ready to get things started again," she proclaimed to him in a stoic manner.

"Oh yea, I'm always ready to go," Zack said confidently. He stayed silent for a moment, dancing words around in his mind as he stood there. Finally, he was ready. "Though, there was something that I wanted to ask you this morning. It's about me and Cloud."

Zack paused for a brief moment to see if Maddy would say anything, but she just changed her direction to face him and looked as though she was just listening. Zack continued, "Well, Cloud seems to have been doing better since coming here for a rest, and the mission we have ahead is going to be quite the tough one. And I want him to be as good as he can be. So, would it be possible to stay here with you all for a while longer, at least until he is doing some better?"

He had no idea what Maddy was going to say as she seemed to be pondering the decision for a moment. She looked off to the side in thought. Zack was already prepared for either decision and patiently waited. Soon, she turned her gaze back to Zack and smiled.

"I don't see why not. Y'all have been a big help round here so far, and it's nice havin' the extra company here. I kinda feel the same way about Cloud myself, so I think that's a good thing yer lookin' out for him like that. And don't worry about Abel. He'll be fine with it cause I say so," she chuckled as she ceased to speak.

Zack stifled a laugh as he did not know whether to think that was funny or sad. Regardless, he was happy that she had agreed to let them stay. "Thank you so much. I promise we won't be a burden to you," Zack stated cheerfully as he began to stand up. "I'm going to go let Cloud know now and I'll bring him back with me."

He strode out of the door and made his walk back over to the barn. Upon entering, he saw that Cloud was starting to stir slightly. He knew that it would take Cloud longer to rouse up. So, Zack waited patiently for him to finally wake up and open his eyes before he said anything.

Cloud blinked a few times as he tried to get adjusted to the bright light from the sun again beating down through the window. After realizing that he was finally awake, he was able to bring himself into a sitting position as he raised up from the pile of hay. Cloud craned his head to the side where the door was and saw Zack standing there with a smile on his face.

"Hey… Zack. Morning," Cloud spoke slowly, obvious that he was still tired.

"Yep morning to you too buddy. Seems like you got some good sleep this time," Zack stated while beginning to walk toward Cloud. He then knelt down to be closer for Cloud to hear. "I have some good news I wanted to tell you. I asked Maddy, and she said we can stay for a longer period of time. I know I said I wanted to get us to Midgar as soon as possible. But, I want to make sure you're all right and not rush things too much. What do you think?"

Cloud stared back at Zack for a few seconds as he was trying to process what was just said to him. He appeared to be in deep thought about it. "We… can stay?"

"Yeah, that's right, Maddy said she would be happy to have us here," Zack spoke calmly.

A small smile crept onto Cloud's face upon hearing that. "Oh… okay then. Sounds good," Cloud said warmly, a light touch of enthusiasm in his voice.

Zack then extended his hand to Cloud to help him to stand up. "All right then, now that's settled, why don't we head into the house to prepare for another day," he said to Cloud as they were both on their feet now. Cloud nodded his head in agreement and followed closely behind Zack as the two of them headed off in the direction of the house to see what would happen that day.

* * *

That day progressed as normal, just as the last couple of days had done. Zack and Cloud continued to help with various tasks through the days. Before too long, a week had passed since they had stopped at the farm. And then that week turned into two weeks, and as time passed by quickly, the next month was already upon them.

Time had gone by so fast they didn't even realize that they had spent over a month at the farm, but they didn't mind. It was a nice change of pace and both of them were happy to help Abel and his family. The two boys had kept up their work, with Zack doing outside work, and Cloud helping with the inside work. Though, Cloud had actually started to be more mobile and was helping with some outside work as well, indicating that he was feeling much better than before. His nightmares would still persist every so often, but Zack made sure to keep watch over him.

Zack had informed Maddy and Abel the previous night they would need to get back on the road for their job assignment. So he and Cloud had gone that evening and collected their motorbike from the side of the road where they left it and drove it up to the barn area. After they had woken up the following morning, they made their way to the house to eat breakfast. After that, they entered into the living area to sit and wait. The two of them sighed slightly as they had grown attached to the small family where they were staying, but Zack knew that was not where they belonged. Soon, Abel, Maddy, and Rowan made their way into the living area as Zack and Cloud stood up.

"Well we hate to see ya go, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do," Maddy sighed as she gave a hug to each of the boys. She tried to offer them more items to take with them, but Zack had declined, citing that they had done more than enough for the two of them while there.

"Yea you two've been quite the help here. I've already filled up yer motorbike with gas and put some extra in another container in the holdin' area. So you got enough to get where ya goin'." He held out a hand to Zack and they shook, and he did the same to Cloud, who slowly was able to shake Abel's hand.

Then Rowan stepped forward towards Zack and Cloud. "I'm gonna miss you chocobo heads," he said jokingly as he laughed. "And Zack, I hope I can be just like you."

Zack laughed at his words and smiled back at him before looking up at Maddy and Abel. "Thank you two so much. We appreciate all that you've done. But, now we have to get moving. So I guess we'll see ya later," he stated and placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder.

Cloud looked up and walked over to Maddy. He didn't look directly at her at first, but in the next second he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you…" he whispered quietly. "Thank you… for helping me." Cloud wished he could say more. He wanted to keep on thanking the kindhearted woman who cared for him without hardly knowing him. But the only words he could think of at the time were the simple, but meaningful words of 'thank you'.

Maddy smiled as she returned the hug. "Ya welcome Cloud. Happy to help ya get back on yer feet."

Cloud then let go of Maddy and now faced both her and Abel. "Thank you… both of you. You guys are nice. Take it easy," he said with a more calm voice than he had before, as he was able to speak in more complete words now instead of having broken context.

After bidding their goodbyes, Zack and Cloud turned and made their way out of the house one last time and over to the motorbike. Zack helped Cloud to get seated and situated in the passenger cart. Then, Zack hopped onto the bike quickly and took his seat. He started the engine on the bike and it hummed just as loudly as it had before. He took one last look at the house to see the three standing right outside of the door. He waved gently at them as they waved back. Zack then turned to face forward on the bike and throttled the handle as they sped off of the farm and back onto the road. They were finally on their way to Midgar once again.

* * *

The sun rose and fell each day, as the days turned into weeks. Along the way, he and Cloud had made several stops each day for resting, as traveling on a motorbike for long journeys would have been unwise. He also wanted to make sure Cloud stayed well enough. They passed mostly through the countryside for the first few days, but then made their way into a desert area, which they tried to make short work of as it was quite uncomfortable. Eventually, they had made it back into the countryside, but knew they were still a good ways away from their destination.

The passing of time on the road had gone by more quickly than what Zack had thought it would, but he was glad, because that meant they were closer to Midgar. Though, Zack did not know exactly where they were at the time, but he kept on driving the bike. He had tried to make attempts at conversation along the way, though Cloud was still not as talkative as he once was, but much better than before. Still, Zack would still try.

"Well Cloud, it seems like we're making progress at least," Zack yelled over at him over the hum of the bike engine, hoping that Cloud was paying attention. He knew Cloud's voice was still quiet, so he doubted if he could actually hear Cloud if he decided to say anything back.

As they continued on the road, Zack started to notice something. The pathway lead to a small cliffside overlooking the land down below. Zack slowed the motorbike to a stop and stared at what he saw before him.

His eyes widened slightly. "Huh…?"

Zack almost couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. He got off of the motorbike and continued to stare. "Huh?!"

Zack slowly stared to walk forward as he kept his eyes locked on the sight he saw. Down far below the cliff was a familiar place to him. A very familiar place that he knew very well.

"What's wrong?" the quiet voice of Cloud asked.

"Cloud, this is my hometown," Zack explained, turning around to look at Cloud as he gestured to area far out before them. "This is Gongaga!"

Cloud tilted his head to the side. "Gongaga?" Cloud smiled slightly as a laugh start to escape from his lips.

"Hey…" Zack said as he walked over to Cloud. "What's so funny?"

"Such a backwater name," Cloud said as he continued to laugh.

Zack found himself to be smiling. The memory of his first meeting and conversation with Cloud came back to him. It was a good memory Zack was happy to think on and he was glad to see that Cloud seemed to be thinking about it as well.

"Well you aren't wrong about that," Zack laughed. "Come on, let's head down and take a look around."

Zack then went back and hopped onto the motorbike and started driving back until he found a pathway leading down to his old hometown. He drove down a path that lead them right into the town, and now that they were there Zack really got a good look at what everything looked like after soon long.

Everything seemed to be in shambles from what could be seen. There were piles of rubble that littered the ground. Loose electrical wires were torn and fragmented throughout. Cracked walls were barely still standing and appeared to be from some form of building that had once been there, but collapsed. More evidence of this was proven by the shredded metal frames and ruptured pipes that were askew in all directions. Up ahead was a fenced in area that was filled to the brim with more debris as the fence somehow had held up to the disaster that had apparently befallen the place.

After taking in some of the broken scenery, Zack then stopped the motorbike and proceeded to get off to look around, leaving Cloud in the passenger seat for now. As he walked forward, his eyes glanced in all directions, trying to see if he could find something that might look familiar. Then he finally peered up and to the left, and saw the mako reactor. It was completely destroyed. Zack just stared at it with a look of both shock and curiosity as he pondered.

"_What in the world could have happened to cause this? Granted I have not been back here in a while so I don't really know the state of the reactor or anything like that. But, something tells me that this was not naturally occuring. I think I might look around her for a bit to see if I can find out anything. I wonder what the rest of the town looks like though. And my parents...with seeing this I do worry about them. One thing at a time though," _Zack finally came back to reality with that last thought and started to look around the area some more.

"Hmm I probably couldn't even go to my house. I'd probably walk right into an ambush…" Zack said aloud as he crossed his arms. "Cloud, do you think you could wait here a minute? I'm going to take a look around."

Cloud looked up at Zack and stared at him for a few seconds, almost as if he was thinking about his answer. Finally, he nodded his head. "Yeah… I'll be fine," he said briefly in just a loud enough voice that Zack could hear him.

Zack grinned at him and extended his arm as he raised his thumb up towards him. "All right then. Well, just sit tight and I'll be back." Zack gave one last glance at Cloud and saw him glance back down to the ground, and then Zack turned and began to head off.

"I'm just worried about my parents…" Zack muttered after taking a few steps forward. "I know it's risky… but maybe I should head into town to try and see them."

He started to work his way around all the debris and rubble in hopes to find something or someone. But everything he saw was just scraps and debris from the rector. There were some small monsters roaming about, but they were nothing for Zack. Soon enough once the monsters were defeated and Zack was able to continue on his way. Once he saw that there was nothing much to find in the reactor area, he headed out towards the outskirts of the town, where most of the houses were.

He walked down the path until he reached the outskirts where the all the houses were, but everything seemed a bit odd. A lot of the houses were boarded up and abandoned, and only now did Zack realized that he hadn't seen anyone walking around the town. As Zack started collecting some thoughts on his situation, a voice spoke up behind him.

"Behind you," the familiar voice said.

Zack gasped as he turned around to see none other than Cissnei. She stood there with her arms crossed. "Couldn't you guess your hometown would be… the first place we'd look?"

Zack sighed. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with. After about two months of avoiding Shrina and the Turks, he thought he could finally be free of them and just go on his way. But here he was again, having to confront Cissnei. And this time he wasn't too sure what was going to happen. The only thing he could muster out for a response was a grumble as he waited for Cissnei to continue talking.

"Here to see your parents?" Cissnei ended up asking him.

Zack wasn't ready to let his guard down, even if she did seem curious and sympathetic towards him. "Yeah so? What's wrong with that?"

"I see," Cissnei quietly responded as she took a few steps forward, not once lowered her arms.

Zack loosened up a bit after seeing that Cissnei wasn't going to be a threat towards him this time. His shoulders relaxed as he decided to answer her honestly. "Yeah well… I guess you're right. It was pretty careless of me." Even with her not showing any signs that she would attack him or anything else, he still did not want to have to be there any longer than he needed to be. "We'll be going."

Zack turned to leave when Cissnei spoke up again, causing him to stop walking. "Be careful. Security is very tight right now. Apparently…another target is in the area."

This caught Zack's attention. "Who?"

Cissnei looked at him for a moment with serious eyes before responding. "Angeal."

A mix of emotions flew through Zack. He wasn't sure what to make of that as he paused for a moment to gather all of the thoughts that had entered his mind.

"_Angeal?! But… how. I mean, that would be nice to be able to see him again. But… I killed him. So how could he even be here?" _Zack's mind fluttered with these mix of emotions over hearing that news. His mouth had gaped open for a moment while he was thinking, until then he calmed himself more and started to think more on it. "_Unless… hmm. Could it be the same as Genesis? All of the clones that he seemed to have of himself, and Angeal had some as well if I recall. Maybe Shinra made a successful copy after all. Whatever the case, it must be him. So maybe it is true. I need to see for myself though."_

Zack narrowed his eyes and turned away from Cissnei. "I see…"

"'I see?" Cissnei asked, surprised by his choice of words. He died by your hand. You're not surprised?"

Zack sighed. "I think he may have helped us… escape Shinra Manor."

"Interesting…" Cissnei said as she stepped a bit closer to Zack. "The sighting reports were true."

"But why would he come to a place like Gongaga?" Zack asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"He came here to see you. What other reason could there be?" Cissnei replied.

Zack suddenly turned around and started examining the area. He of course did not see Angeal anywhere, but he truly did hope that he was there somewhere. "Run away if you can, Angeal! The Turks are watching!"

"I'll give you ten minutes. After that… I return to the Turks," Cissnei stated.

"Return?" Zack asked, puzzled by her statement.

Cissnei turned away. "Right now, I'm not in the mood. I can't bring bad news to your parents."

Both of them looked away from each other as an uncomfortable silence fell over the air. Finally though after a break of no one speaking Zack decided to speak up again.

"My mom… How is she?"

"She's worried. She thinks after all this, you won't be able to find a wife," Cissnei said.

Zack sighed and turned away. He almost couldn't believe that was the thing that was on his mother's mind over everything else. "What's up with that?"

"They're nice people, and they're doing fine," Cissnei said, trying to help ease Zack.

"Good. That's all I need to know."

"Yeah."

There was another pause before Zack asked a question that had been on his mind. "How's your folks?"

Cissnei stared down at the ground for a moment as she walked around a little. "I was… raised inside Shrina…"

Immediately Zack felt bad for every asking the question. He quickly rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from Cissnei.

Finally though he thought of something better to say to her. "Hey Cissnei… Would you mind… keeping my folks company for a while?"

Cissnei looked up at Zack and gave a small smile. "All right. No problem."

"They'll probably ask you to join the family," Zack chuckled, thinking about how his parents were.

"Already happened," Cissnei said casually as she walked past Zack.

Zack gasped as his eyes widened. That was not that he was expecting to hear from her. "W-What did you say?"

Cissnei did not answer him though, she just kept on walking.

"Cissnei…" Zack said, a little sad that she wasn't giving him an answer.

"Not my real name," she replied as she kept moving forward. "You have five minutes left."

Zack sighed as he watched Cissnei walk off. He then turned his head to the side and noticed something just further down a path. From what he could see it looked like a bright, white wing.

"Angeal? Angeal! It is you!" Zack shouted as he smiled. He watched as the figure he thought was Angeal take off into the sky and fly elsewhere around the area. Zack ran forward a few feet before shouting, "Hey wait!"

Soon new thoughts started to fill Zack's mind. "_Was it really Angeal? Well… only one way to find out."_

Zack started to run up towards the hills, in search of who he thought was Angeal. Along the way he kept encountering small monsters and he hoped that no monsters were roaming near Cloud.

"I really should get back to check on Cloud. But I gotta see if that was Angeal… I just have to know," Zack said to himself.

He ran up through the hills and across a lightwater fall. He didn't even stop to take in the beautiful view from where he was now. The only thing on his mind was finding Angeal. He made his way through the upper hill area until he came near the edge of the area. There he saw the person again, but their back was facing him. Just as Zack was about to call call out to him, he flew off.

Zack reached out his hand. "Wait!"

Zack let out a long sigh as he stood there thinking things over. But he didn't have much time as two figures landed in front of him. One of them had wore grey armor, had small black wing and carried a scythe like weapon while the other… the other looked just like Genesis. But something felt and looked off about him… not only was his hair a snow white, but there was also a vacant look on his face. The other noticeable thing was that this Genesis did not have a wing at all.

"What is this?" Zack asked aloud.

"S… cells…" the supposed Genesis muttered.

"_Wait… is this another Genesis copy? Oh well… Let's just get this over with."_

* * *

Just as Zack was finishing beating the Genesis copy and the other soldier like monster, more showed up. Zack sighed before looking at them and continuing the fight. Throughout the fight though he kept hearing the soldier monsters mutter the same thing over and over again.

"S… cells… S… cells…"

That was all they ever said as they fought against Zack, but he kept on fighting them of course. But just as he was prepared to take on the next two, he heard a voice shouting from above.

"His cells are completely useless!"

A voice had appeared from seemingly out of nowhere. However, the voice seemed familiar. Zack lowered his sword from the monsters that stood before him, and started to search for the voice as he looked all around him. Then suddenly he heard a faint but familiar sound. It was the flapping of wings. He turned his gaze to the sky to see what was there, and then someone landed directly in front of him.

Zack slightly gasped as he recognized who the man was standing before him. It was none other than Dr. Hollander, who was quickly followed by Genesis as the latter floated to the ground shortly after. This time this Genesis had a wing, meaning it was actually the real one compared to the clone he fought before. Zack stood there with a look of disbelief on his face as he inwardly groaned at having to encounter Genesis once again. Though, he thought to himself quickly that with both of them present, maybe he could finally get the answers he was searching for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for those who have read this and left kudos or comments. It really means a lot to see these things, knowing there are those who enjoy the story.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Welcome back to another chapter! Back in Gongaga we pick up were we left off.

Genesis and Hollander stood before Zack, who was frozen there as his disbelief turned into annoyance. However, he was also curious. He was still lost in his thoughts for a brief moment as he thought that he might be able to find some answers to what had happened to he and Cloud, and everything else for that matter. His mind had raced quickly through possibilities as his concentration was broken when Hollander started to move and speak.

“You are a former member of SOLDIER,” he said as he pointed at Zack as he took a few steps forward. “Your cellular structure has already mutated.”

“Hollander!?” Zack finally said, expressing his surprise seeing the man outloud. Now seeing the man up close he really could take in what he looked like and saw how much he had changed. His clothes appeared tattered. “You did it… to yourself?”

“Yes, after nearly being killed by Genesis. It was really all I could do to survive,” Hollander replied as he shook his head slightly. “I merely borrowed some cells from Genesis…”

Zack took in a deep breath as he hesitated with his next words. “You know, you’re… degrading.”

“Indeed, but there is still some hope…” Hollander replied.

Zack glanced briefly at Genesis in the back, who was remaining silent. Though he held a purple fruit… another dumbapple, in his hands and looked at it carefully. Zack started to think though what Hollander meant with his words. What hope was there left for them? He wanted to almost feel bad for them, but after what they had done, he had no sympathy at that moment. 

He could hear the monsters behind him still muttering about ‘S-cells’ but that didn’t really help him. Besides that, everyone else remained silent for a few more moments. The only other voice was Zack’s internal voice as he continued to process everything that was happening at that moment. Though as that happened, Genesis started to walk closer to Hollander. 

“The gift of the goddess… A pure S-cell sample will stop the degradation process,” Genesis stated as he held out the purple fruit in his hand. 

“Pure?” Zack asked. 

Genesis lowered his hand as he stared coldly at Zack. “There are… two of you, on the run.”

Zack took a step back as he saw where Genesis was starting to go with it. A look of concern spread wide across Zack’s face as he moved his head side to side, trying to shake what he had just heard. Now he understood what Hollander had meant earlier when he had said there was hope. He started to worry slightly about the situation.

Zack didn’t want to hear anymore, but it seemed that Genesis still had more to say. “One is a former SOLDIER operative. The other, an infantryman.”

“That infantryman carries within his body, the last pure S-cells in the world!” Hollander exclaimed before he flew up into the air. The monsters behind Zack followed in suit. 

“Hey! Get back here! Leave Cloud out of this!” Zack gritted his teeth as he ran forward, only to have Genesis hold out his arm and stop him. Zack looked at him with contempt, ready to fight him again if need be.

“Do you know the verse in Act IV that leads into the final act?” Genesis asked. 

Zack rolled his eyes and scoffed as he turned his head away. “Of course not!” 

However, Genesis continued anyways as if he had never even heard Zack.

“ _ Legend shall speak _

_ Of a sacrifice at world's end… _ ” 

Genesis started off as Zack started to walk away from him. He wanted to just leave and get away from the auburn-haired fanatic, but he felt there was a chance that he could still get some answers from Genesis. But hearing him prattle on about his poetry was starting to annoy him. 

_ “The wind sails over the water’s surface, _

_ Quietly, but surely” _

Zack had stood there silently and listened to Genesis prattling on. His eyes narrowed into a slight scowl as Genesis’s words danced upon his ears. Zack shook his head. He didn’t want to hear any more of this. 

He turned around to face Genesis and glared at him. “Enough about sacrifices and endings!” he shouted, not even noticing the small crack of fear and frustration in his voice. “I don’t want to hear it!” 

Why would he want to hear about such terrible things after everything he had been though? That wasn’t what he wanted to think about, not at all!

Genesis tilted his head back as he looked to Zack. “You don’t understand the beauty of these words. How tragic… I’m not surprised. Even I didn’t understand all of it. The greatest mystery behind the gift of the goddess…” Genesis paused for a moment before he revealed the rest of the sentence. “The water’s surface’. And the answer I have arrived at, is the lifestream.”

“What?” Zack asked. He had just listened to what Genesis had to say as he adorned a skeptical look. However, the last parts were interesting. He was about to try and ask more thoughts that were on his mind, but Genesis just continued. 

“There are various theories regarding the missing final act. However, only my theory is correct,” Genesis boasted as he stretched his arms out. He then held out the arm that held the dumbapple again. “And I will prove it to you.”

That was it. Zack had finally had enough of Genesis and his riddles. His answers would have to wait until another time, if there was another time. It seemed that he wasn’t actually going to get anywhere with him. “No, that won’t be necessary!” 

He lunged forward as he prepared to tackle down Genesis, only to have him fly away at the last second. Zack grunted as he missed his target and slid across the ground. Much to his surprise though, there was now something in his hand. It was the dumbapple that Genesis had been holding. 

Zack scrambled back up to his feet to see black feathers falling to the ground. He then averted his eyes quickly to the sky above as Genesis flew away. “You will understand,” Genesis said before disappeared into the skyline. 

Zack huffed angrily at Genesis. He still wished he could have managed to get some relevant information from Genesis, but he knew that was not his main priority. All of the thoughts he had been building during that conversation finally spilled out. 

“Cloud! He’s in danger! I shouldn’t have left him alone there. I gotta get back to the reactor! Run like you mean it, Zack!” Zack instructed to himself before he took off running. 

Zack took off running like a man on a mission. Well, he was on a mission actually; to save Cloud. He sprinted around the abandoned houses where they had just been and took a sharp left, but just as he did he encountered some monsters that had not been there before. 

“Ahh, you’re in my way!” Zack exclaimed with frustration filling his voice. He readied his sword and quickly started slashing at the monster with ferocity. A few moments later and it was completely defeated and faded away as Zack was able to get back on the run.

He continued as he crossed over a small river and took another sharp turn, but this time it was to the right. The path he was on now was leading to the outskirts of Gongaga village. He passed a few more houses that were there, not caring to pay attention to anything else. There, he encountered yet some more monsters. However, they were quite weak and Zack quickly defeated them as well as he was able to press forward. 

After rounding another corner, the path forward was one of a constant descending slope. This of course led to the mako reactor that had been abandoned, which was where he had left Cloud. It was a bit of a ways there, which gave Zack some time to think. Cloud...if only he had been more able to move freely. If only he was a bit better. Zack knew already that Cloud had made a lot of progress, but it still wasn’t enough to fully manage on his own. If that was the case then Zack would have brought him along. However, after thinking about that, he figured that Cloud would have been in more danger because of what had happened. It was a tricky situation either way.

Time seemed to have been moving much slower now that Zack was racing towards trying to get Cloud. Eventually though, he was able to start to see something in the distance below the hill. It was the area where he left Cloud as he could faintly see the motorcycle. However, he could also see some other things there with him, which he assumed were Hollander, and the other creatures. He picked up his speed and raced harder, slashing through monsters easily on the way to get to his best friend. 

As he approached, he could see that Cloud was just sitting there in the seat of the motorcycle, seemingly not paying attention. Hollander was slowly getting near him with his hands outstretched in an attempt to grab the blond-haired boy. 

“Cloud! Run!” Zack yelled as he finally reached where they were.

Cloud then suddenly jarred his head and raised it up to see what was going on. He saw Zack was in front of him, but he felt something to his side as well. He looked over to his right to see a strange man coming towards him. He gasped in surprise as he then started to try to scoot backwards, but there was not much of a place to go in the extra seat. He then toppled out of the sidecar and started to crawl away from the man as fast as he can.

“Wh-what’s happening? Zack?” he questioned as he was confused about everything. He had no idea what had even happened as he had fallen asleep. 

“It will be fine Cloud. I’ll take care of all this. Just go find somewhere safe!” Zack yelled again as he had already begun his spring forward towards Hollander and the creatures. 

Cloud did not need to question that as he nodded his head and finally managed to make it to his feet. He was hobbling along as he was still half asleep, and the mako was still affecting him as well. He saw a broken down building that he could hide inside of, but as he tried to move forward, he decided to look back for a moment. The man, who was Hollander, was trying to follow him slowly now.

Zack has just about reached Hollander to cut him off from Cloud when something flew by him quickly. It looked like a white streak from the short glance that Zack was able to see. It quickly landed in front of the creatures, cutting them off from Hollander, who stopped his progress towards Cloud at the sudden arrival of this new thing. They were finally able to get a look at what it was now, and it slightly surprised Zack. 

The single white wing that this thing, that was now recognizable as a person, had was unmistakable. The face was a dead giveaway. It was Angeal. Or rather, it was someone that looked like Angeal. Zack knew that Angeal had perished at his own hand, so why was he here now? Zack was trying to figure this out quickly.

From a quick glance, the man had on white pants with a seemingly grey jacket with the cuffs rolled up. Under the coat was a white shirt with a lighter grey ascot around the neck. His hair was just like Angeal’s too, but it was solid white, which matched the large wing. Though, from the looks of the man, he was also suffering from degradation. Regardless of that fact, it seemed as though he was there to help.

Zack looked out of the corner of his eye and saw that Cloud was slowly making his way into the dilapidated building beside them. He breathed a sigh of relief for a moment to know that Cloud should be safe there. Then he quickly turned his attention back to the man he had just seen, who was avoiding strikes from the deformed creatures surrounding them. Then, before Zack could make a move, Hollander swiped at the man and flung him to the ground. 

"Why you!” Zack said in frustration, his full attention now on Hollander. 

Hollander apparently had briefly forgotten about Zack standing close to him though. As soon as he heard the former SOLDIER’s voice, he started backpedaling in an effort to get away. He soon had broken into a small run, though he was limping slightly. 

Zack then turned around and started to follow him. He was too fast for Hollander as he soon caught up to the degrading man, who seemed to stop as he breathed heavily for a moment. Hollander grabbed his head as if he was in pain and started shaking rapidly until he then stopped moving, seemingly lost in a daze as he stood there. Zack had already prepared his sword as he approached.

He did not want to hurt anyone specifically, but he knew that he had to protect Cloud. And Hollander and Genesis were not going to stop their pursuit of him. Zack pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he resolved himself. “I’ll do whatever I have to do! I will protect my friend!” he yelled with confidence as he entered into the fray with Hollander.

Zack rushed forward and began to strike at Hollander forcefully as he began to land several blows on point. However, Hollander’s body brushed them off like it was nothing, even though it was obvious that he was taking damage as blood began to spurt from some of the wounds. Zack stopped swinging for a moment as the man had gotten still, and he waited to see what happened. 

Hollander threw his head back slowly, and then suddenly released some kind of yellow mist from his mouth. Zack barely had time to dodge it as it had caught him off guard. He had no idea what that yellow mist would do, but he figured that it would be best to avoid it at any rate. 

As the Zack began to move back to him, Hollander had pulled something from his pockets and dumped them on the ground. From that spawned some worm-like monsters to try and shield him. Zack grew slightly agitated as he beat them all down as quickly as he could. Finally, it was just he and Hollander again.

The small fight continued as Zack obviously had the upper hand as he was slashing and then evading, making sure to stay clear of the mist and the wings that Hollander had started to use to swing at him. After a few more minutes, Zack laid into Hollander with a blow that stopped the fallen scientist in his tracks. 

The fight was finally over.

Hollander could not utter any words, but only fell to his knees. He reached out his hand and held it out towards Zack, almost as if reaching for help. Then, he fell forward onto the ground as his body started to disintegrate into green particles that returned to the lifestream. 

Zack watched on and only sighed slightly, but knew that he had to do it. He returned his sword to his back and then set off back in the direction that he came. His first priority was to check on Cloud and make sure he was all right. As he approached, he turned right into the rubble of a building where he saw Cloud go. He found the boy just beside a fallen wall, but the sight he saw was not one that preferrable. 

Cloud was shaking and rocking back and forth with his knees clenched up against his chest. His eyes looked almost glazed over as he was staring straight with no direction. He was having another panic attack, most likely over the scare he must have gotten from Hollander. Zack knew he had to do something to try to help his friend though.

“Hey Cloud, it’s me Zack. I’m back you see. I know you’re in there,” Zack prodded, trying to reach Cloud with his words and familiar voice.

Cloud still sat there and did not look at Zack, or even acknowledge that he was there. Zack bit his lip as he hoped that it was not as bad as the last time, but he would be there however long it took to get Cloud back to a functional state. He knelt down in front of him and placed his hands on his shoulders. “Hey,” he said softly. “It’s okay. I’m here. Cloud.”

Finally, Cloud seemed to snap out of his trance as he blinked a few times before focusing his eyes. When he did, he finally was able to see that Zack was right in front of him. “Z-Zack? Zack! I-I don’t know what to do. I think… it’s getting to me again…” he trailed off with a worried tone in his shaky voice.

Zack’s face wore a more worried expression now as he looked upon his best friend. Cloud seemed to be in the same shape that he had been that night when he had run to the shores of Nibelheim. Zack knew they would have to get moving eventually though, and he had to get Cloud to focus and get back to a stable state. He couldn’t just carry him everywhere. 

“Cloud,” Zack said with a more direct and serious tone. “You have to snap out of it. They are not going to do anything else to you. I’ll make sure of that. But, you have to work with me. You’re strong Cloud. Show me that strength and determination you had before,” he uttered with a determined plea to Cloud.

The blond-haired boy looked to Zack again. “I-I don’t know. I know...how I was before. I felt f-fine… But n-now… Not sure… what’s wrong. Head… hurts…” he trailed off as he gripped his head as his knuckles turned white. He must have been experiencing quite the pain to grabbing at his head that hard. He lowered his head as he continued to hold on to it, but then suddenly he just stopped.

Zack held his breath for a moment, hoping that Cloud was finally overcoming his issues at the time. He stood back up and reached his hand down to Cloud. “Well, if you’ve gotten through that th-”

He wasn’t able to finish what he was saying though as Cloud suddenly stood up on his own. Before Zack could say anything else to him, he turned and took off stumbling away before breaking out into a slight run. 

Zack stood for a second before realizing what was going on. “Wh-Cloud, wait!” he said as his voice escalated as he took off in pursuit of Cloud. This was just like that time before when he ran and did not know what he was doing. Zack knew it was likely that he would not remember anything of it this time either, but he hoped he could get him under control before anything happened. 

Cloud had not run very far and Zack still had him in his sights. He was now in the open area where the motorbike had been left, along with the person that looked like Angeal, who was on the ground now. Cloud looked back to his friend for a brief moment and stared at him, then he started to run. 

“Ahhh, come on Cloud, just come back already,” Zack said with an exasperated sigh. He didn’t expect this to happen, and after a tiring battle, it just was another thing added to the long day. But he couldn’t stop though. 

As Cloud began to run however, he stumbled over his own feet some before then crashing to the ground. This was a perfect chance for Zack to get to his friend, so he accelerated in order to reach him before he could get up. Once he approached Cloud, he jumped onto him to try to hold him down, but Cloud was writhing as he tried to get up, but Zack was too strong. 

“Just stay still Cloud,” Zack muttered as he struggled to keep Cloud down. 

The boy showed more strength than normal, but Zack was able to manage. Cloud was trying to fight him though for some reason, and even tried to claw at his face. He squirmed and grunted as he tried to break free. Zack could only assume that he was dreaming while he was awake, but other than that he really had no idea. A few more seconds passed as the struggle continued, and Zack finally knew what he had to do.

“Forgive me Cloud, I hate to do this to you.”

He then readied his fist and he ran it into Cloud’s abdomen hard. The wind seemed to be knocked out of the boy, but then his body went limp. Zack looked and verified that Cloud was still breathing as he then got off of him.

“Well, at least you won’t remember any of this... I hope. Let’s get you back to the motorbike now.” 

Zack then placed his arms under the back of Cloud’s body and proceeded to lift the young boy up. He threw him over his shoulder and then began to carry him back to the area where the motorbike was, which wasn’t too far from where they had been. Zack was relieved that situation was resolved now though. He still was in thought about what happened as he approached the bike finally. He then laid Cloud gently into the sidecar where he could rest.

Zack then straightened back upright, and turned his attention to what was in front of him now.

Angeal. Or, rather the person that looked like Angeal. 

He walked over to the person, who was still laying on the ground, though the monsters surrounding him were gone. Zack assumed that he must have defeated them. He did seem to appear tired though, so it must have taken its toll on him. As Zack got near him, he felt as though he knew the man though as there seemed to be something familiar about him. 

He then looked up. “It’s been a long time, Zack.”

The two stared at each other for a little while and then they shared a chuckle like old friends. Zack grinned at him as he tossed the dumbapple in his hands, which he had still been hanging on to through all of the encounters that had just happened. He continued to toss it in his hand.

“So what happened earlier? That thing wasn’t so tough!,” he said with a motion of his hands toward the man and a tone of confidence in his voice. 

The man was still slightly smiling at Zack. “I can’t fight like a 1st,” he admitted as he motioned towards Zack. “I’m just an Angeal copy.”

Zack looked bewildered for a moment as stopped playing with the dumbapple and narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. “Copy?

The man then placed his hand on the ground and used it as leverage to be able to stand up. Once he was on his feet, he spoke again. “It’s Lazard,” he admitted, revealing his true identity. 

Zack wore a look of shock at first, surprised to see the man he once knew as the director of Shinra in such a state. However, he then realized that it made sense now why he felt that the man, now known as Lazard, felt familiar. 

He was about to say something until Lazard cut him off. “So real quick, if I may ask, just what happened just a bit ago? With that boy?”

“Oh you mean Cloud,” Zack said as he prepared to tell all. “You see, the basics of it is that we were kept in the Shinra mansion and experimented on after the Nibelheim incident. But I escaped and took him with me. But, from the reports I saw, his mind could not handle the normal tests that SOLDIERs were put through.”

“So he has mako poisoning,” Lazard rationalized. 

“Yeah,” Zack admitted. “And every so often, it’s almost like, he forgets himself and blacks out. I’m... not really sure what to do. It hurts to see him get like that... cause it’s hard to get through to him at first. But we’ll figure it out.”

Lazard chuckled. “Yeah, that sounds just like you. You haven’t changed.”

Zack returned the laugh slightly before changing the subject. “So what about you? What happened exactly?”

The two of them then started to discuss in detail the things that had gone on in the time that Zack had been away. There were many things to cover, and they took their time trying to catch up with what time they had. After some time had passed, Lazard had gotten to a detail that seemed to have interested Zack more than the others, and gave him a chance to hopefully gather some more information.

“So, you’re the one who helped Hollander out of Junon?” Zack asked as his voice raised in pitch, noting his curiosity. “Why would you do such a thing?”

Lazard looked down. “To exact my revenge, I needed Hollander,” he said as he sat back down and propped one leg up and rested his arm on his knee.

Zack looked down at him. “You really chose the wrong friends, didn’t you?”

“I agree,” he admitted. “I never dreamed I’d be turned into an Angeal copy.”

“Well, just be happy you’re linked to Project G.” Zack turned forward and smirked slightly, his words indicative of his dislike for Project S as compared to the aforementioned one. 

Lazard then narrowed his eyes. “It’s a strange feeling…” he paused and clenched his fist as Zack turned his gaze on him “The lust for vengeance that had so consumed my life is all gone now.” 

He re-opened his hand as he paused for another moment. “In its place...is a desire to help you, a desire to save Genesis,” he proclaimed as he glanced up at Zack. Then, he moved his head back forward. “No, it’s bigger than that. I...I want to save the world.” He slowly outstretched his arm and moved his hand upward with palm open.

Zack then stepped forward and started to walk some without saying a word. He had listened intently to everything that Lazard had to say, and it all made sense. He had first thought that he would need some convincing, but that was untrue. He knew everything Lazard had said was fact, and that he meant what he said. 

Finally, he halted his progress and slowly removed the sword from off of his back in his right hand while still clutching the dumbapple in his left. Lazard looked on with curious eyes, wondering what Zack was doing. After Zack had his sword held out in full length, he rotated his body to a side glance towards Lazard. 

“Nothing strange about that,” he spoke as he then pivoted completely around to face the man. He extended the buster sword forward and then lifted it up in a vertical position to hold. “Angeal, lives inside you.”

Lazard stifled a small chortle, knowing what Zack said was true. But, Lazard knew they had to get to the task at hand. “Genesis is trying to obtain the ‘gift of the goddess,’ but what is it, exactly?”

He waited for an answer, but immediately came to one himself. “No, it doesn’t matter. Whatever it is, he must be stopped,” he said with an almost pained look on his face.

Zack then put his sword back onto his back. “I just don't understand what he’s talking about at all. What should I do?”

“Angeal may show us the way… perhaps.”

“Maybe… I hope so, Director.”

“Heh, Director…” Lazard lamented as he sat there and thought for a moment’s pause. The Director soon spoke back up. “So, Zack, what is your dream?”

“Huh?” Zack looked surprised but then understood what was going on. “Oh, let’s see…” he trailed off as he placed a hand on his chin in thought. Though, he already knew the answer.

“To become a hero!” he proclaimed as he placed his free hand on his hip and smiled.

The Director smirked as he shook his head. “Hmph, unattainable dreams are the best kind.”

Zack then stepped forward to look the Director in the eye. “Oh come on! Lend me a hand! You and Angeal both. If we pull this off, we’ll all be heroes! At the very least, I’d feel like one! Zack said as he awaited the Director’s response. 

“Well, if you wanna be a hero, you still need to do something about that boy there,” he said as he pointed to Cloud. 

Zack glanced back to where his friend was, suddenly remembering what had happened just a while ago with him. Cloud still rested there peacefully, breathing steadily as if nothing had happened. A slightly uneasy filled Zack’s chest and mind as he looked. Slowly he drifted to thoughts of regret. He regretted leaving Cloud alone again. Just look what happened. But he had no choice really. Still, the Director was right. He needed to make time for every possibility if he truly wanted to be a hero. 

“Yeah, I know… I’ve got to get better. And I will. Maybe he will even be able to help if he can get better,” Zack explained as he hoped for the best. 

“Hmph, maybe…” the Director trailed off as the two were in silence for a few seconds. 

Then, a voice broke that silence. “So, Zack, where is Genesis anyways?”

Zack was perplexed by the sudden question, as he did not have an answer. Though a thought came to his mind and he pulled something out from his pocket. It was the fruit Genesis had given him before. He stood there in deep thought for a few seconds, mulling over all of the information that he had heard from Genesis. Then in an instant, it all clicked as he was staring at the apple. 

“Oh!” he gasped as he then presented the dumbapple forward to show to the Director. 

He looked and understood. “I see…”

A single white feather then fell from Lazard’s wing and drifted down to the ground, as Zack noticed and watched it fall. They both seemed to understand now, however, where it was that Genesis would be. The knowledge Angeal had of his close friend, which was imprinted onto Lazard’s person now, and the recollection Zack had of Genesis’s ramblings all added up. It would lead them to the place where dumbapples are found. 

Banora.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for checking out this story. Don't forget to leave a comment if you got something to say, always curious here.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Here we go again with another chapter! Moving on from Gongaga and on to Banora, but there is still some between before that!

Now that Zack had his next location identified, the only hard part was getting there. From Gongaga they would have to cross the open waters to get all the way to the other continent. Zack could only hope that there were ships down at the port of Gongaga. He hoped there would be something there at least. Anything to help them get across.

With Lazard close behind him, Zack drove the motorbike down south, towards the edge of Gongnga. That was where the port was. As he drove he took a two second glance over to Cloud. He was still unconscious, but his chest rose up and down at a normal rate.

Zack shook his head as he went back to focusing on the road. "_What am I going to do? If Cloud keeps having these blackouts… No… I won't let that happen. I gotta find a way to help him not fall into those fits or breakdowns."_

Zack breathed in slowly as he tried to think of answers, but he only kept having more questions. Cloud's state was hard to read. Sometimes he was fine, but then if he was alone for too long he would enter that freaking out stage. Zack hoped that Cloud would eventually manage on his own, but he wasn't sure how he could get through to Cloud to get that to happen. With this last time, it seemed Cloud knew that something was going on in his mind. So there was that at least that Zack could investigate on.

"_Maybe I could try to talk it out with Cloud. Maybe now that he is more aware… maybe he can tell me what is going on in his head." _Zack continued his thoughts as he stared at the road head. He let out a slow sigh though. "_Hmm I wonder… once this is all over and Cloud and I head to Midgar, maybe Aerith might have some idea on what I could do to help Cloud."_

Aerith… Zack thought of her again. Besides Cloud, it was the singular purpose that drove him to trying to find his way back. He wanted to see her again, almost more than anything. He sighed as he continued to think. There were so many differing thoughts dancing in his mind that he almost didn't know what to do about it. Not only was there the prospect of him getting back to where he belonged, but he had to worry about Genesis now.

"I'll be so glad when all of this is over. One way or another, we will get through this, right Cloud?" he asked, knowing that there would be no response from the sleeping boy, but he thought to ask anyways.

The two of them were on their way as Lazard followed in the air closely behind. They trekked for just a little bit until their destination was within sight as Zack stopped the motorcycle and climbed off to look at what was in front of him. Lazard landed right behind him as Zack heard the flap of the wing slightly before it stopped as he looked out at what was in front of him.

The docks of Gongaga were quite small and there were usually never many ships that were in port. The area consisted of 3 large wooden decks that extend out into the water for about 30 feet or so, and usually there would only be three ships there, one at each dock area. Off to the left side of that was another area that had a larger bay, which was about twice as wide as the other wooden platforms with a similar wooden bridge used for access to the ship. That was the cargo bay for the cargo ship, which was used to transport and receive goods from other places across the ocean.

Directly beside the cargo dock was an area that was mainly used for fishing by any fishermen that wanted to come by down there. Anyone could come and go as they pleased at the area of course, so many different people would always come to see what they could find. The area was comprised of a smaller wooden structure that stretched out, with a few notches on either side for opportune casting spots.

To the left of the docks from where Zack was standing were two small buildings that were made of the same brick material as the houses in the village, thought they were styled a bit differently with a square shape instead, which allowed them to be larger in volume. One of the buildings would be where most of the work that was done inside took place. The other building was mainly a shed-like area where the products that were being shipped and received would be stored. This same building was also used to house the fishing materials and the catches that the men would bring in each day.

As of currently, the cargo ship was the only one that was docked. Zack saw this and knew that it would just have to work so that they could hitch a ride to where Banora was, and then on to Midgar. He assumed there would be some sort of cargo deck on the ship as well, so they could stowaway there. Cloud would be the hardest part though, to lug him onto the ship so that they would not be seen. After all, he did not want to endanger or alert anyone of their presence.

"Well Cloud, hope you don't get seasick. Cause we are gonna be traveling on the water for a while it seems."

"How do you propose we get there without getting caught?" Lazard asked curiously from behind.

"Well, I'm not quite sure yet. Let me see…"

Zack just had to make sure to stay out of site of any SOLDIERS that would be patrolling the area, though it looked like there were none at the time. He knew they would be taking the motorbike with them though as it would be necessary for the shape Cloud was in for later. He already had his hands full trying to take care of Cloud, who was usually mostly inoperable. The only issue now was when he and Cloud could try to sneak on with the bike. It would be so much easier if Cloud was awake, but Zack just had to deal with the hand he was dealt.

After thinking for a moment, Zack recalled that there might be someone that he knows that he could talk to at the docks. "Cloud, stay here for a moment. There doesn't seem to be anyone around here at the time, so you should be fine. The Director can watch over you, right?" he asked the latter as he turned his eyes to him briefly.

Lazard nodded his head, and with that, Zack took off walking towards the dock area, making sure to stay mostly out of sight.

Zack made his way forward and ducked behind the nearest building, which was the smaller workers' building, to just make sure that he did not encounter anybody. He waited for a few moments before moving around the back of it slowly towards the shed. Once he reached it, he peered around the side of it to see what was there. There appeared to be only one man out at the moment, and nothing appeared to be going on at the time either.

Zack took in a deep breath before he stepped out from where he was hiding and approached the crewman. "Hey," he started as he waved casually. "Pleasant evening, right?"

The man, who was facing straight forward, turned about to face Zack. He was an older person that seemed like he might have lived there for quite some time. His face was relaxed, which made Zack feel good about his chances at being able to get onto the boat. Then, the man began to speak in return.

"Ah, yes it is. What are you doing out here this evening… oh! You're a SOLDIER. I didn't realize," he caught himself as he became a slight bit flustered.

"Yeah, that's right… SOLDIER," Zack said, trying not to sound to upset with the fact. After what had gone down long before with Angeal and then Nibelheim, he had sworn off caring about being in SOLDIER. But for this case, he felt like it would help in his advantage to get what we needed. "I've been out on a special mission, but… due to some technicalities I gotta switch my mission over to being in Banora. And on such quick notice I thought to see if there was any boats down here I could catch a ride on."

"Oh really? Well, that sounds rather unfortunate then. Well I'm sure we can be of some help to you. The only boat we have is the cargo boat. Depends what all you got with you? "

"There's me and the the motorbike I've been traveling in, it has all my supplies. As well as my teammate in the mission, though he is asleep in the sidecar right now. He's a bit out of it right now though. Even though our mission here ended sooner than expected, he did get slightly injured, nothing major though."

The older gentleman seemed to be pondering what Zack had just said for a moment as he scratched his head. "I see, I see. Hmm… Well, the ship is quite large after all. I'm sure there would be enough room on there anyways for you so sure, I'll let you go on there then. Though, I want to know one thing before all this," he paused briefly. "The way you talk. You from around here?"

"Thank you so much!" Zack said as he smiled cheerfully. "And yeah, I'm actually from Gongaga, just haven't been home in a while."

"I knew you were probably from the area. The accent is a bit easier to pick up on. It's nice seeing one of our own make it so well. Now, go on you two and get loaded on. I'll make sure you're good," the man responded as he gave a wink.

Zack thanked the man once again before turning to run back to where he had left Cloud and Lazard. When he got back up there he saw that Cloud was sitting up straight in his sit and looking to Lazard, who seemed to be talking. Zack picked up speed, wondering when Cloud had woken up, as he had not been gone all to long.

Cloud turned his head and looked towards Zack, his eyes lighting up slightly as he smiled. "Zack!"

"Hey buddy, you're awake now at least. You doing okay?" Zack said as he got closer to the two.

"Yeah… fine now. Was a bit shaken though… when I woke. But Lazard… he talked. So I'm good," Cloud said, his sentences nearly all completely proper now.

"He almost freaked out for a moment, so I did my best to calm him down. Not sure what that was about. Does this happen often?" Lazard asked of him.

"Well, it is not very frequent. Only every now and then does something like that happen, but it's the mako poisoning I'm sure that is doing it."

"It seems to be rather severe. As if I recall he did have a small outburst only a short while ago," Lazard commented before turning to the blond. "You wouldn't happen to know the reason why it happens, would you?"

Cloud frowned as he shook his head. "N-No… my head just starts hurting sometimes… I don't… know. Just hurts… usually I blackout."

"Well, that is something to keep an eye on at least. I would guess it probably has something to do with the Jenova cells inside of him too, but I'm not sure," Lazard commented back.

Zack looked back over to him. "I guess so. I'm hoping to figure it out soon though. But we have a ride at least. Though the crewman only knows it's going to be me and Cloud. So you may have to sneak aboard when the crewman isn't looking, but I think it may just be him."

"That's fine. I can manage that. I assume you would want to do that now then."

Zack nodded as he got back on the motorbike and started it up. "Yeah, don't wanna keep the guy waiting too long. Just keep an eye out for when we leave."

With that, Zack started the vehicle at a slow speed down towards the ship to where he could drive up and load it on to it. Cloud watched quietly from the sidecar, but didn't seem to be in a talkative mood anymore. But he did seem far more aware then he ever was before, which gave Zack a little confidence that things were getting better.

Luckily, nobody seemed to be around still, except for that man from earlier, as Zack approached the ship and drove the motorbike onto the small ramp that was on the ground. Things went smoothly from thereon as the bike was now on the boat; though, Zack knew he would probably have to stow it out of the way, so he found a small area between some containers and led it in there after having gotten Cloud from the side car. He helped sit Cloud down beside the nearest crate so he would have some back support to be upright as Zack remained standing for a bit.

"Well I guess we can just be here for now and take a break until things start moving then, huh Cloud?"

"Yeah… That sounds good. Just, don't go… too far, Zack," Cloud muttered through paused breaths.

Zack tried to remain serious but chuckled mildly. "Well I kinda have to. Unless you want me to jump overboard on a ship later on." He laughed slightly at his joke, and hoped that he could alleviate some of the stress from Cloud as well.

The blond-haired youth had no comment as he just sat there, which is something that would happen often before when he felt like not saying much. The two remained there for a few minutes in silence, Cloud just sitting calmly while Zack took in the smell of the ocean and the small breeze that seemed to be blowing from the direction of the setting sun.

Several minutes must have passed by as the sun continued to dip lower on the horizon as the sky grew darker. Once it had disappeared behind the far-reaching ocean, Zack then decided to take a seat beside Cloud finally. As he began to sit down, he heard something in the air above him, like a flap of a wing.

Zack peered up to see Lazard beginning to land right in front of them. "Ah, there you are."

"Had to make sure that it was dark, when nobody would seemingly notice some guy flying through the air. There were a few infantrymen heading down this way so now was the best time."

"All right well that's fair. It's going to be a long ride though that's for sure," Zack breathed a heavy sigh as he thought about the arduous journey.

"Well you could always give up," the Director chuckled.

"Ha! Give up? As if. I've got to see this through no matter what now."

Lazard huffed as he gave a small smirk. "Of course. I would expect nothing less from the _hero_."

The two laughed for a moment, then heard some bells ringing in the distance.

"Ah good, that means they're ready then. Finally we can be on our way," Zack stated softly as he looked towards Cloud.

He had to continue what he was doing. He needed to find answers about why all of this was happening to them. But he also knew he had to help Cloud. He was not just going to abandon him. What kind of hero would he be then? He knew the trip to Banora was going to take quite a long time though considering how far away it was. He hoped that time would pass by rather quickly though on the way. In a few short minutes, the ship was readied and the engine had begun to hum loudly as the horn blew. They were finally on their way.

"So," Zack said as he leaned a little a little closer to Cloud. "How you holding up?"

"I'm okay… I guess…" Cloud replied as he hunched over slightly. "Just a little… mmm…" he trailed off as he placed an arm around his stomach.

Zack 's eyebrows furrowed with worry. Was something wrong again with Cloud? Was he going to have another blackout? Having something like that on a small enclosed area would not be good, plus he didn't want to cause any trouble for the crewman.

Quickly Zack placed an arm around Cloud's back. "You okay there buddy? You're looking a little pale…"

"Not that good… with traveling on water…" Cloud muttered as he took in slow breaths.

Zack's eyes grew a bit wide as he then scratched the back of his head. "Okay, wow. I was only kidding about you getting motion sickness, but I didn't think that you actually had it." He tried to think of what to say or do next to help but nothing really came to mind.

Cloud didn't replied back, only swayed slightly as he closed his eyes. He kept trying to keep his breath steady, but Zack could see that he was having a little trouble. Finally he leaned against Zack as he continued to let out a long, slow breaths. "How long… is the trip…?"

Zack hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I'm not exactly sure. But I know that Banora is quite a long way from here. Based on what I could guess, I would say a few months maybe? But don't worry… this ship is moving slowly because it's a cargo ship. So that's the only reason it is taking as long, and hopefully the sickness won't be as bad for you." He had to reassure Cloud of that last part after seeing his friend's eyes had opened widen at him mentioning a few months.

Cloud ground slightly as he hunkered down onto the floor. "Wasn't this bad before. Not as bad when I… first went to Midgar. Maybe that was cause… journey was shorter though…"

"It could have something to do with the S-cells," Lazard interjected. "I'm still not sure how they work, but I know for me, many of my senses and feelings have been heightened, but not always in a good way. It could be the same for Cloud with his… and with the mako poisoning, it's even worse. Just a thought though."

Cloud shuddered as he started to look more pale. Zack looked at him with a worried glance as he took in what Lazard said. "I guess that makes sense. Hey Cloud… if you need to ya know, throw up or anything, let me know and I'll lead you over to the railing. Okay?"

"Okay…" Cloud muttered quietly. "I'll just try… and rest for now though. Maybe that will help…"

Zack chuckled softly as he started to rub Cloud's back. "Still always so sleepy at least. I still don't know how you can manage it… though it's probably still all because of the cells and stuff… But whatever, let's not worry about that now. You just try to get some rest, all right?"

Cloud slowly nodded as he bowed his head and quickly drifted off into sleep without much issue. Soon he was snoring as Zack just chuckled.

"Well, I guess that's that. Though, it's been a long day so I think I need some too though." He then turned his head towards the Director. "Well, what about you?"

"To be honest, I have not slept much since becoming… this. So it's irrelevant for me. No need to worry about it."

Zack felt slightly bummed that he was not able to do anything to help the Director, especially after he was helping them out so much now. He tried to shake the thoughts of doubt from his head and just rest. "All right then." Zack then laid his head back and tried to doze off, and he did not have to wait long. His curiosity about how Cloud was able to rest so suddenly would soon be satisfied as he couldn't help but drift off in the same manner. The last thing on his mind is knowing that this trip would be quite long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now on the ship to Banora they will have some downtime for now, but it can't last forever. What will happen? Find out next time!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This here is one of my favorite chapters from this story. Why you may ask? Well, heh, there is a lot of good this! Let's get to it!

_ One month later _

The boys seemed to be about halfway to their destination to Banora now. At least, that was what they had thought from what Lazard told them about where they currently were. The cargo ship had just stopped in route once again to drop off some supplies and then to pick up more, so they were able to stretch out for a bit before getting back on the way. The winged man had flown overhead earlier out of sight of anyone so that he could get a good idea of where they were.

Now they were back out over the ocean again, the sunlight beating down upon their heads. But at least there was a breeze blowing that day, which made everything seem a bit better. Lazard had just came back to tell Zack about what he had discovered; and as expected, they were making slow progress. 

Cloud was leaning against the railing of the ship, looking out at the seemingly endless sea around them. At first his seasickness had been pretty bad, but as the days went by he seemed to adjust to it better and better. Though there was still a few times when the waves picked up and the ship rocked more than usual, and that was when Cloud felt the most sick. But Zack made sure to be right there beside Cloud, to help him in case he felt a little too uneasy. 

Zack approached Cloud and stood right next to him. “Hey buddy, how you doing?” 

Cloud slowly nodded his head. “I’m all right. The waves… they aren’t bad today.”

“That’s good. And how’s your head feeling?” 

“Okay… I guess. I feel a bit foggy at times still… but it isn’t as bad as before.” 

A month had gone by, and in that time Zack kept a close eye on monitoring Cloud and his mental status. Cloud had seemingly recovered a great deal though in that time. He was able to stay awake more normally, and was able to finally have more coherent thoughts and full conversations. It was such a huge improvement from how Cloud first started off when they broke out of the mansion. 

There hadn’t been any more blackouts for Cloud. Nothing like that had happened since the last time in Gongaga. That left a lot of relief within Zack. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to manage another blacked out Cloud moment while on the ship. There had been a few panic attacks, but nothing to severe. 

However, the biggest thing was that there were still the nightmares.

The nightmares that plagued Cloud’s mind. He would toss and turn, struggling with whatever was going on in the terrible dreams. Zack had fallen into a routine of waking up when Cloud was having some fits with them. It pained Zack to see such things from the young blond. As soon as he would hear the whimpers and cries from Cloud, he would be over to him in a flash. He would wrap his arms around Cloud and bring him in close, and it would ease the younger boy. And with that he wouldn’t leave Cloud’s side for the remainder of the night, wanting to make sure no more nightmares came to bother him. 

Zack figured it was a brotherly instinct for him wanting to do it. He never minded, and he wanted to help Cloud as much as he could. He had thought about the concept of being an older brother to Cloud months before, and he still liked the idea of it. 

Cloud never seemed to remember it by the morning though. Or at least Zack figured that was the case. He never brought it up when he woke up, and Zack didn’t want to pressure him by asking. But the more Zack thought about it… maybe it was something he should discuss with him. Maybe if he were to talk about it with Cloud, there could be some progress made.

There were still many questions Zack had about Cloud’s status. He had gone through so much in the past several months from the mako poisoning and the S-cells in his bloodstream. There was no way he could ever just be fine after all of that. Zack had already seen first hand how much it changed Cloud. He only wished there was more that he could do. 

“Um, Cloud… I got a question I want to ask you,” Zack said, starting off softly. 

Cloud turned to him, the wind blowing the spikes of hair on his face. “What’s up?” 

“I wanted to ask… do you remember anything when you sleep?” 

Cloud raised an eyebrow. “Huh? What do you mean?” 

“I mean… do you remember what you dream about? Like… nightmares or anything?” Zack replied. “I’m only wondering because you have a lot of nights were it looks like you are dealing with one. I wanna know if there is anything I can do to help.” 

Cloud shifted to the side. He lowered his head, as if ashamed of the answer. His shoulders tightened up and Zack could see a worried look etched onto Cloud’s face. “I… I think I have nightmares. I never can remember them… It’s something bad though… I know that. But I never can recall.” 

Cloud then turned his head up and met Zack in the eyes. “But that’s why you sleep next to me right? Cause I’m having these nightmares, and you want to protect me from it. Right?” 

Zack was surprised. He never expected Cloud to figure it out. He always would leave right before Cloud would wake up. But he never told Cloud what he did. He felt it would be too weird to talk about with him. It wasn’t just a casual conversation piece that they could have. It was a bit different than that. But now it was out in the open to talk about. There was no real way that he could avoid it. 

“You know about that?” Zack finally asked, not waiting to make it awkward by just staring. “Sorry if it’s weird…” He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing to the side. “I just wanted to do what I could to help.” 

Cloud shook his head. “It’s okay. It does help. The nightmares stop when you are close. So… thank you for that.”

Zack smiled, deciding to make the situation less weird and more fun. “Sure thing Spike. Gotta look out and care for my little bro.”

“What? Little bro?” Cloud asked, clearly not picking up what Zack meant. 

“We’ve been through so much together, why not be brothers,” Zack laughed. 

Cloud found himself to be smiling and managed to laugh back. “That does sound nice. I like that.” 

“Same here.”

The two of them then high fived, both happy they had come to the agreement of being a brother to one another. Things would be much easier with each of them knowing that the other had their back. Though their journey had been long and tough so far, Zack was happy to have his best friend by his side. Even if he was looking out for Cloud through most of it, he was happy to have someone with him. He doubted he would be able to make it as far on his own, the loneliness would have tormented him each step of the way. Having Cloud there made things feel a whole lot better. 

* * *

_ A couple days later _

Things had been going smoothly on the journey thus far. Zack and Cloud each had been resting quite well for the most part, having felt better after their chat previously. A small yawn was heard from the black-haired man as he sat up and stretched his arms. 

“Oh, that was quite a good nap for sure. And the sun feels so nice right now too,” Zack stated peacefully. 

He peered over to the side of him to see that Cloud was still napping quietly, not budging even an inch. It was some of the most peaceful rest he had seen Cloud experience in some time, so he decided to not bother him. Zack then hopped up to his feet quickly and started to do squats like usual, as he became lost in his thoughts as well.

_ “At least he is sleeping well. I’m sure not gonna bother him either. After everything that he’s been through, he deserves some rest. Though, to be fair, that’s all that he had been doing pretty much is resting. I guess all of ‘that’ really takes its toll on the body.” _

He was of course referring to the experiments that had been done on the two of them. Though, the more Zack thought about what had occurred back then, he started to feel an uncomfortable pressure. 

Zack winced slightly as he pressed a hand to his forehead. He stopped his little exercise and stood up straight. Something was building in the back of his head. Something that he should have known… or wanted to know, but it was staying hidden. 

_ “Is it something about back then? Now that I think about it… I can’t really remember anything from after the fire at Nibelheim. I remember fighting Sephiroth… then… then… I woke in the mansion. But… there is something between that. Those papers I read… they said that Cloud and I were apart of some experiments… Why can’t I remember any of that though?”  _

He began trying to just walk around the ship some to hopefully clear his head. Maybe this phenomenon would just dissipate after a little while. Though, he did not want to go too far just in case that Cloud happened to rouse suddenly. As he walked around, Zack raised his head towards the sky and closed his eyes. Then almost like a flash of lightning, some faint glimpses of something ushered themselves into his head. Thoughts? Memories? A combination of the two maybe? Whatever they were they burned through his mind, making him think about nothing else but that. Some of them seemed almost hazy, but some more clear than others.

As he laid there on the floor, he opened his eyes briefly to see Cloud being carted away on some form of stretcher. 

“This one here… intriguing, most intriguing! He’ll make a fine test subject!”

The voice was somewhat raspy and high-pitched, belonging to a man that had black hair that was tied up in a ponytail in the back. He wore a long, white lab coat from what Zack could tell. 

_ “H-Hojo? No, wait. Cloud!”  _ The thoughts burned within his mind, but he had no strength to actually speak them and make them heard. He tried to reach out, but his physical strength had been exhausted as well. He blinked a couple more times as some figured encroached upon him as everything went black.

After opening his eyes again for what seemed like only a few seconds, he looked around to see he was enclosed in some case. He tried to move, but try as he might, he was contained within that tight space. Once again, he was devoid of the strength to do anything but look. What he saw was something that shocked and then scared him.

Cloud was on a table, sleeping, or knocked out, whatever had caused him to be motionless. There was a man holding a syringe and was holding it close to Zack’s best friend. He didn’t know what it was, but he had a feeling that it was nothing good. It all happened in slow motion, and Zack was unable to do anything to stop it. He then started to fade in and out of consciousness. 

_ “Cloud…”  _

oOoOoOo

Zack watched as Cloud thrashed back and forth on the metal table. He struggled against the men who were trying to pin him down. He screamed and shouted as they finally were able to tie his arms and ankles to the table. The men gave no reaction to any of his outbursts. 

Zack gritted his teeth. If it wasn’t for the fact he was tied up and locked in a cage off to the side, he would attack these men and get Cloud free. But it wasn’t that simple. None of that was now. 

He then heard a door open… and Hojo walked in. 

Zack narrowed his eyes at the man. There were so many ugly thoughts forming in his mind. So many things he wanted to say to him. Hojo was the one who had locked him and Cloud up. After… after what happened in Nibelheim. 

It was still a bit hazy, but Zack remembered confronting Sephiroth. He remembered trying to stop him. And then there was Cloud. He also tried to help… but both of them were weakened to a near point of death after facing the man. 

The next thing Zack knew was that he was in a laboratory. A laboratory of Hojo’s, and he was keeping them locked up there. At first nothing really happened except Hojo making notes and observing them. But now he had begun… doing experiments. Prodding them and injecting things into them. Zack didn’t understand why he would do any of this. But he didn’t care to try to understand him. He was only angry at him and that was it. 

Zack watched quietly as Hojo went over to the table where Cloud was, who was still trying to squirm even with the restraints on. He muttered things to his workers who brought him different tools. 

“Since he is still being such a troubled specimen, we will have to use the gas this time to keep him still. Please bring that over,” Hojo instructed to one of the men. 

They nodded and brought over a metal canister with a tube that connected to a mask at the other end. With the help of some of the other scientists, they pressed the mask against his face and turned on the canister. 

Zack winced as he saw Cloud continue to struggle, wanting to scream but not wanting to breath in anything. Zack could see tears stream down Cloud’s terrified face. Soon his breathing became more rapid, most likely due to holding his breath as long as he could but then had to take a breath in the end. And then he breathed in the chemicals of the gas, making everything worse. 

Cloud’s body slacked and then was still, aside from a now calm rise and fall of his chest. 

“Hojo!” Zack shouted, finally having enough. “What the hell do you think you are doing?! Why are you doing this!?” Zack asked the two most burning questions in his mind since they woke up here, at least the questions that were nicer than what he wanted to say to Hojo directly. 

Hojo looked up and stared at Zack. A cold smirk covered his face as he pushed up his glasses. “You two are my newest specimen. Both of you could hold some potential to my experiments. So I must pursue this.” 

“But why are you using us?! Won’t Shinra know what you are doing?” Zack asked. 

Hojo laughed, now walking away from the table and over to where Zack was being held. He leaned over and sneered, seeming proud of what he was about to say. “They won’t know. With the abundance of Infantrymen, they won’t miss one. And then with what happened in Nibelheim, they are more concerned with that then what happened to the two SOLIDERs that were sent there.”

Hojo’s sneer grew larger. “Meaning I have all the free range that I want to test what I want. Your little friend is more fascinating though. He holds a lot of promise.” 

“I swear Hojo, if you hurt him anymore-” Zack started to say, but Hojo interrupted him. 

“Do not try to cause any annoyance or trouble. You two are my experiments, I may do as I please. So it would be wise for you to not speak out. Otherwise I will have no problem with finding some silence materia to keep you shut.”

Zack pursed his lips together, trying to hold back what he wanted to say. 

“You should be grateful,” Hojo said, continuing to prattle on. “You and your friend may be just what I need. It will be a great accomplishment in science if everything works. And besides,” he paused for a moment before letting out a cackle. “Another reason to be grateful is that I am letting you stay awake when it isn’t your turn. I could easily place you in the mako tubes while I work on your friend, but… I am being rather  _ courteous _ as long as you cooperate.” 

Zack felt sick. He felt sick to his stomach and a burning hatred for the man who stood before him. He stayed quiet though, keeping his thoughts to himself and only to himself. 

_ “Sick twisted bastard… can’t believe I ever protected him,” _ Zack thought, remembering back when Genesis tried to attack the scientist and he, along with Angeal, went to save him.

“So you will behave?” Hojo asked mockingly. “Good. Now I can resume everything.”

Zack lowered his head as he watched Hojo go back to the table where Cloud was. There was nothing he could do. Not without causing more issues. He sighed in defeat, trying not to watch as Hojo became the series of experiments for the day. Not that he didn’t know what was happening… it would be his turn soon enough. 

oOoOoOo

After the experiments were done, Zack was placed back in the cage. Cloud now rested in there, still unconscious from before. The scientists that worked with Hojo placed Zack back in there with no problems at all. While Zack could have easily resisted, his body was already sore and tired from everything Hojo had tried to do on him. 

There was a part of him that wished Hojo would place him back in the mako tube for the night. That way at least he wouldn’t have to keep feeling all of this pain. But Hojo wanted that. He apparently wanted to toy with them to make their time harder. He knew it could have been worse, but it was already pretty bad for the both of them. While he was relatively fine, Cloud was less lucky. 

As soon as the cage closed, Zack slumped down next to Cloud. Now closer, he could see that he wasn’t resting quietly. Tears stained his cheeks while his body shook. 

"Hey," Zack whispered. "You awake?" 

He hated to see Cloud like this. He hated that Cloud had gotten roped up with him in this mess. It wasn't fair to have that happen to Cloud. But there was still nothing Zack could do. Nothing that could help them escape anyways. He could do one thing at least, and that would be to stay by Cloud's side. After all, they were stuck here together for who knows how long. 

Cloud moaned before he opened his eyes. He pushed himself up into a sitting position before looking at Zack. Then, Zack could see the fear that now filled Cloud's eyes. "It's… is it… over?" 

Zack sighed. "For today I'm afraid. Hojo probably has more planned though…"

Cloud frowned, looking far more distraught than he had before. Zack reached out and placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder. He wanted to comfort him the best he could. Cloud was only 16, this was not a place a 16-year-old should be. No 16-year-old should ever be locked up and experimented on. No one at all should ever be in that position, but here they were with no choice in the matter.

Cloud fell forward, no longer having the strength in him. Zack shifted quickly and caught the blond, letting Cloud's head rest against his chest.

"I'm scared…" Cloud whispered in a weak voice. A few tears trickled down his face. “It hurts… It all hurts…”

Zack looked at Cloud, feeling sympathy with his simple words. Though Zack was trying his best, he was a bit afraid on the inside. He had seen Hojo's experiments before. Weird and strange monsters that he had created. Was that what he was going to do to them? He never heard Hojo specify what he was doing. Only that they were promising experiments. 

And that lack of knowledge terrified him. 

His hold around Cloud tightened as he rested his head on top of Cloud’s. “I know buddy, I feel you there. This is far from fun. But we are going to stick together. I wish I could promise that I won’t let them hurt you… but I don’t think there is anything I can do… without one of us getting hurt even more.”

Cloud nodded, still keeping his head against Zack’s chest. “I understand. Thanks for wanting to try though…” 

Cloud started to shudder, despite it not being that cold down in the laboratory. Zack could only assume that whatever Hojo was doing to Cloud was slowly starting to affect him. He moved one of his arms to Cloud’s back and started to rub it. It was probably one of the only things he could do to try and relax Cloud. 

“I’m here for you. I’ll protect you as best I can.”

oOoOoOoOo

More experiments were tested on them. More injections were pumped into them. Zack started to lose track of time after a while, especially when there were days that he was placed in the mako tube. Had it been several days? Weeks? Or even months? Zack wasn’t sure anymore. 

His main focus had been trying to comfort Cloud when they weren’t being put through all of the tests. 

Cloud had not been doing well the past few days. Whatever Hojo was doing to him was affecting him far worse than it was for Zack. He was relatively fine, aside from soreness and tiredness. But Cloud… he was suffering. He began to freak out after each day of tests, though other times he was mostly okay. However, it soon would sometimes turn into screaming, other times flat out panic attacks where he felt like he couldn’t breathe. And a lot of the time Hojo would place him back in the mako tube, not letting Zack get a chance to comfort him. But when he did get those chances, though they were few, he would hold Cloud for as long as he could. He wouldn’t let go until the next morning when Hojo’s workers would pull him away from Cloud. 

There came a day when Cloud and Zack were not in the mako tubes, that Hojo came into the laboratory, frustrated and annoyed. Zack was far too tired to understand everything that he was saying, but there was clear disappointment in his voice. He was sure it had something to do with them. Something hadn’t gone the way Hojo wanted with them. 

The next thing he remembered was being pulled from Cloud and placed back into the mako tube, all while Hojo stared at the two of them. As the mako tube actived, and Zack was being pulled into sleep, he tried to hold onto his thoughts. 

_ “Gotta get out… one day. Need to escape… with Cloud. Can’t leave him behind. Don’t worry Cloud… I’ll find a way…”  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, a lot of flashback stuff, but now some insight on things and also just poor, poor Cloud.   
Hope you guys enjoyed! Be sure to let us know what you thought! We love seeing your feedback!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 13 here we go! I have no idea what else to say but thanks so far for reading!

Zack's eyes suddenly burst open. "AHHH!"

He looked around quickly to gauge where he was. He was still on the ship, but instead of standing as he was, he was now lying down on his side. His while body was in a cold sweat, and his breath was rapid.

"Just… what happened? My head was hurting and then," he trailed off in thought. "Oh yeah… that must have been memories of 'back then'."

He sat up slowly, leaning his back up against the nearby wall and sat there for a little while. Now that the memories were present in his head, he couldn't help but think on them more. "_That's why I must instinctively wanna protect Cloud. Not just cause I am his friend, and I want to help him… but because I was already doing it when we were captured. And then that's also why he is calm and at ease when I'm around him. Now it all makes sense."_

But the memories still didn't fade from his mind. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Cloud on the operation table, screaming for his life. How could he have forgotten those memories like that? Granted, they were painful memories that were at a point in their lives he would rather forget. Having felt the remorse that was onset now, he knew that he must have repressed all of those negative moments to try to cope. He considered those moments more and more, each passing minute causing anger to rise in his being.

"Hojo…" Zack muttered through gritted teeth.

That man was the single cause of everything that had happened to him and Cloud. He knew it then when they were captured, and he remembered it now. Zack knew inside of his heart that he should try to not be too upset, but how could he not. Time was stolen away from him and Cloud, and what they gained in the process was pain and remorse. If there was one thing Zack was sure of though, it was that if he ever saw Hojo again, he would make sure to make that man pay dearly.

Zack then felt a drop of something wet that hit his pants leg. He looked down to see red. His eyes then found their way to the source of the redness and settled on his hand. He had apparently clasped his fingers so tightly together that it had drawn blood, so much so that his knuckles turned white. Was he really that angry? He took a deep breath, making sure to breathe in and out repeatedly as he relaxed his muscles. After another moment, he slapped himself across the face.

"Come on Zack. No time to be upset now. Just think about what lies ahead and what we must do. That's the focus," he convinced himself aloud. He then proceeded to stand back up and wiped the blood from his hand. "I should go check on Cloud anyways. I'm not sure how long I was even out."

He quickly walked back down to where he had come from and then rounded the corner. His eyes fell upon the blonde teenager still lumped up against the wall, soundly asleep. A sigh of relief escaped from Zack's mouth, as he was glad to see that nothing was happening with Cloud too much. He reached his unsullied hand out and placed it on Cloud's head. "At least you seem to be doing all right for now."

Upon coming in contact with the blonde's hair, he noticed that it was a tinge wet. It had not been raining so Zack knew that he could not be the reasoning behind it. He started to run his hands all through Cloud's hair, feeling that it was wet almost everywhere. _"What's going on here?" _Zack's curiosity was piqued and he moved his hand down towards Cloud's forehead. He couldn't see any discernible perspiration, but something was definitely off.

His fingertips brushed against Cloud's skin, and he started to get a better sense of what was going on. And it started to make him worry.

Cloud's forehead was burning. It was warmer than he knew it should have been. Immediately Zack looked up to see where the sun was positioned. They were relatively in the shade were they had been resting, bit a little sun peaked by them. But of course it had moved across the sky since they had started their nap.

_"Was Cloud in the sun at all during his nap? Or… or did he get sick from something or being out at sea here so much?"_

Zack thought more and more about what it could be. It was like Cloud was too hot or something with the way that he had been so warm. He figured that Cloud must have been this way for quite some time, most likely during when Zack had blacked out.

He cursed under his breath.

His own weakness and spacing out caused him to not notice this sooner. Whatever 'this' was. What if it was a fever? Heatstroke? Then a stray thought entered into his mind. "_What if… it's the mako that is doing this?"_

That had to be it. Zack was unsure what all the mako poisoning could do to a person, but he considered it might be possible to cause some reactions in the body itself. And Cloud had been left in it back then for far too long for someone that was not used to it. He didn't know what he could do at that point, but he had to get Cloud awake.

"Hey, Cloud!" Zack yelled slightly while shaking Cloud's shoulder fervently. "Come on wake up. Something is the matter with you."

He continued to shake the boy until finally, the blonde started to rouse. Eyelids began to move slowly and his eyes started to blink slightly. But then suddenly, those mako blue eyes shot open, staring straight up at Zack. Then, he began to start looking around, panting feverishly. His hands then started to move quickly and he began scratching himself rapidly, moving from his arms to his chest to his legs and everywhere else that he could reach. "I'm… burning up."

"Cloud do you know what's wrong? Talk to me, I'm here," Zack said, making his presence known.

"Don't know… itching crazy… really hot. It's just…" Cloud paused briefly before letting out an inaudible scream of frustration, not knowing what else to do at the moment.

Zack bit his lip. He could only hope the crewman didn't hear Cloud. The last thing he wanted was to have the crewman come and ask why Could was in a feverish fit. He had to find a way to help Cloud, but with how he was reacting Zack felt more unsure than before.

Cloud had a fever previously in their journey, but it was when he still couldn't do much on his own. Now he was more aware and mentioned how he felt like he was burning.

"Cloud, I know it's probably hard to focus on me right now, but if you can… please look at me," Zack whispered to him as he placed his hands on Cloud's shoulders.

Zack waited for Cloud to lift his head before continuing. "If you can, do you know of this is because of the mako? Or do you think it may be something else?"

Cloud let out a quick breath as he shook his head. He continued to claw at his shirt. He tugged and pulled at it vigorously while his breathing increased. "Too hot… burning… feels like I'm burning…"

Soon there was an extra pair of hands tugging at Cloud's vestments as Zack reached in to help almost immediately. He could tell that Cloud was trying to get his top off at least. But he was in such a frantic rush that he did not remember that the armor had to come off first.

"Keep your arms still Cloud. I have to get the armor off of you first," he tried to convince is friend as he attempted to hold his arms still.

Zack was able to reach behind each shoulder and unfasten the belts that held the shoulder pads in place. After a couple of minutes, both of them were now on the floor of the ship. He then reached his arms around to Cloud's back and unbuckled the waistband that was held there and relieved him of it as quickly as he could. After that, Zack felt kind of odd for undressing Cloud, thinking it was weird. But he had no choice since he was trying to help. So that thought became fleeting in mere seconds.

Now that the armor was completely off of Cloud, his yanking and clawing finally paid off as he was able to strip the shirt off his back. And then he pulled the undershirt that was under the sweater off as well, revealing his pale, bare skin. Cloud breathed a sigh of relief, feeling some form of satisfaction as the ocean breeze brushed against his skin.

That was when Zack saw his abdomen. It caused him to gasp as his eyes widened.

Upon Cloud's front, he saw a deformed scar that looked like it had not really had the proper time to heal. "_What in the world could have done this to him? Was it Hojo? No… that wound is too large to have been caused by anything there. Was it something else? Wait! It couldn't have been… Sephiroth! When he fought him. But wait… I wonder then…"_

Zack leaned forward and looked behind Cloud. When he did, his heart sank at the theory he had. Seeing the same shaped scar on Cloud's back in the same spot across from the abdomen, twisted an uneasy feeling In Zack's own stomach.

This was clearly done by Sephiroth. The scar was evidence enough of that. And it made Zack feel sick, seeing such an ugly scar stretching across the boy's body.

Zack's mind fluttered with guilt as he looked upon it. He thought to ask Cloud exactly what it was, in case for some reason it wasn't related to Sephiroth. But then he thought that might be too much for his friend. After all, Cloud had been suffering quite a bit since escaping from the mansion. He was just starting to seem to do better, albeit for the recent outburst he was having. There was no need to start making him think back on old wounds… literally. Zack decided to leave the subject alone for now and allow Cloud some time to attempt to relax. "_Maybe I'll ask him some time later. Right now, I need to watch him and make sure he can rest some more."_

* * *

Time had passed by. How much, Zack wasn't too sure of as he only focused on Cloud. Though, the sun had begun to set finally. The blond boy in question had calmed down, though he still was a bit warm to the touch. Thankfully there had been no more panicked movements or fits of being too hot. He remained quiet as he continued to rest, listening to the waves hitting against the side of the ship.

After watching Cloud's calm form for a few more minutes, Zack cleared his throat. He placed a hand on Cloud's arm gently, not wanting to startle him too much. "So, Cloud, you feeling better?"

Cloud glanced towards Zack, at first not giving him a response at all. His eyes shifted back and forth between Zack and other parts of the ship as he collected his thoughts. "Kinda. Still warm though. Hoping that it will get cooler soon," he said blandly.

"That's good to hear though!" Zack said. "It's good to see that you are recovering more quickly than you were before. Maybe I should get you something to drink though, sound good?"

"Yeah, I think I would like that. Maybe if it's really cold?" Cloud requested, hoping for the best.

"Heh, well I'll see what I can do," Zack said as he stood back up. "You think you'll be okay on your own?"

Zack wanted to believe that Cloud would be all right, but so much had happened to lead him to worry. Almost every time he left Cloud alone, the poor boy would end up in distress of some kind. He knew it wasn't Cloud's fault. He had been traumatized, scarred beyond what he could have ever imagined, and Zack was his life line. Zack was the one he could lean on for support when he needed it. And with a mako-poisoned mind, his emotions were heighted extremely, and that left him to worry more than normal.

Cloud, however, surprised his black-haired friend. "Sure, I think it will be fine. I can just sit here. You'll be back I know, so I think it's okay."

His voice didn't sound too sure of that though, sounding like he was playing a game of tug of war with his own mind. Cloud tried to reassure Zack though, not wanting to make his friend worry about him every waking second. Even though he enjoyed Zack being around like he was, part of him did feel bad about not being able to take care of himself as well as he needed to.

"Okay Spike, sounds good," Zack said before reaching forward to ruffle Cloud's hair. "I won't be too long."

Zack started to walk away, with a few occasional glances over his shoulder. No matter what Cloud said, he still couldn't help it. He still worried about Cloud's state. But he knew he shouldn't try to fixtate too terribly. He knew it wouldn't do him any good to worry to death if Cloud was trying his best to manage.

As he passed by some crates, he heard a bit of rustling. He turned to see a shadowed figure standing next to the crates. Normally he would have been more alert, but they were out in the ocean. There was no one else there besides him and Cloud, the crewman… and Lazard.

"Lazard, how've you been today?" Zack asked, seeing as the man would normally keep hidden from the crewman during daylight hours.

"Fine. It's been a quiet day. From what I could tell earlier, we're out in the middle of nowhere at the moment with the next stop not being for a few days at least," he responded.

"Quiet… for the most part," Zack replied before sighing. "Cloud had a minor panic attack today… and it was kind of bad."

Lazard cocked his head to the side slightly. "For the most part? What do you mean by that exactly? Something happened didn't it?"

Zack nodded. "He felt like he was burning… and he did actually have a high fever. It's gone down now, but it felt awfully high before. And then…" Zack trialled off as he thought back to seeing Cloud's scar. "I think back in Nibelheim when Cloud went off to fight Sephiroth… he got hurt. There's a scar… that runs right through his abdomen. I have no idea how he ever could have survived something like that… but it's still there."

"Hmm," Lazard hummed thoughtfully and placed his hand just below his chin. "I guess your afternoon really was quite the adventure. From what you are saying and based on what I know now, I would almost be willing to bet that the mako was the cause of those reactions."

He paused to see if Zack had anything to say, but then continued. "Though, the wound I am not sure about. Have you tried asking him about it?"

Zack shook his head. "No, I haven't asked him. I wouldn't even know how to do so. I'm more afraid that it may trigger something. Another panic attack or some kind of PTSD. He's been through so much and I'd hate to stress him out more on remembering if Sephiroth… stabbed him or not."

"Sometimes I wonder why you put up with all of this. Honestly, I wonder how he was ever in SOLDIER," Lazard curiously pondered.

"It's because he's not a SOLDIER, Director. He was an infantryman, but we became best friends on the mission to Modenheim, however long that's been. I would never abandon him," Zack firmly stated.

"That makes sense now. So I can assume that his mind must have been too weak to be in SOLDIER. Hence the mako-poisoning. But tell me Zack. Logically speaking as a SOLDIER, it would be tactically beneficial for you to continue your quest on your own, would it not?"

Zack bit his lip and looked away. He paced in a circle a couple of times before finally stopping in front of the winged man again. "To be honest… I considered it. Twice sadly. I wish I didn't. But, it was back when we were at the mansion after escaping and then another time later on the journey. I knew that it would be easier if I went on my own. But…" he trailed off.

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because I just can't!" Zack retorted loudly and straightened up. "If I did that, what would I be? Someone that abandons someone in need? Leaving a friend behind just to make things easier for myself? I'd be a monster… I took an oath as a SOLDIER. Even if SOLDIER is no more, I still have my honor… my dreams. Angeal taught me that," he finished with a firm look in his eyes as he looked directly at the face of his late mentor.

After a few seconds, Lazard closed his eyes and smiled. "Good. You haven't lost your resolve. That's what I wanted to hear."

An awkward silence began among the two of them. Zack tried to figure out exactly what Lazard had been trying to do, but he finally just sighed and started to pace again.

"Zack," he called out again, causing the black-haired teen to spin around. "Do you by chance still have your Shinra-issued cell phone?"

"Huh? Yeah I do have it. What of it?" he answered as he pulled the small black device from his pants pocket.

"You know you could use that to make things a bit easier."

"No, not likely. I keep it just in case, but I'm almost sure that Shinra can track anything done on these devices. I only use to to see messages that have been sent to me, but nothing is ever sent out. Even though I could reply to some… it's too risky," Zack explained calmly.

"Yes, I guess that would make sense. Well, I'll just keep in touch in the best way that I know how for now then. Don't do anything too reckless," he suggested.

Zack smirked. "Have you ever known me to be reckless?"

Lazard chuckled at his optimistic sarcasm. With that, the Director flapped his large white wing and took off suddenly into the sky.

"Hey wait! Where are you going!?" Zack called after him.

"Somewhere up ahead to see what awaits us." And with that, he was off without another word.

Zack watched him fly off and huffed air loudly at his departure. "_Man, if we had wings it would make things so much quicker and easier." _The fleeting thought left Zack's mind just as soon as it had entered as he stared off into the sky, looking towards the spot where the Director had just been before he was too far away to see.

"Oh yeah! The water." Zack remembered that he was trying to help Cloud and needed to get him something to drink.

He walked towards the cabin once again and entered into the area where the food and drinks were being kept. Zack grabbed a cup and filled it with some water from the nearby tank, and then added some ice to it. He grabbed himself a Kupo Kola from the ice box and turned to head back.

He made his way back to where Cloud was still sitting. Thankfully he looked calm and peaceful, lifting a huge worrying weight off Zack's chest. He still had his shirt off, presumably still feeling warming than usual.

Zack took a sit down next to his friend and held out the cup of water. Cloud turned to look at him and smiled. "Thanks Zack." He took the water and began to drink it. He sighed happily. "Ah yeah, this helps a lot."

Zack nodded in agreement before opening the bottle of Kupo Kola. He began to drink it as the two of them relaxed. Together they watched the remaining sunlight fade away into the horizon. The temperature started to cool down, and with Cloud feeling better, he put his shirt back on. Then after that, stars started to come out, spreading across the sky in every direction. Soon the entire sky was filled with so many stars, far too many to count anyways.

"I really like looking at the stars out here," Cloud commented.

"Yeah, with no lights from cities, towns, or mako reactors, you can really see everything," Zack replied.

"I never realized there could be so many stars. Like… wow it's so vast."

Zack turned to Cloud and smiled. "Never took you for much of a stargazer."

Cloud shrugged. "I… I may have done it a few times when I was younger. But this view is far better than anything back… b-back home…" Cloud stumbled over the last of his sentence, sounding a bit uneasy.

Zack raised an eyebrow. His usual instinct was to question something like that, but this time he thought to himself. It only took him a minute before he figured that Cloud must have been thinking back to Nibelheim, and how it burned down. Zack knew that Cloud was probably far too out of it to remember seeing it all built up again. That was still something that Zack couldn't figure out. But that was just a part of the list of questions to be answered later.

Before Cloud could dip into a freak out or anything else upon thinking of his home, Zack cleared his throat. "You ever wonder what's out there? Beyond the stars?"

"Huh? Hm… I don't know. There's gotta be something right?" Cloud commented, thankfully being pulled away before his thoughts got too deep.

"I bet there is! Imagine what else could be out there, like another world or something. Oh, what if there is a world that is run by chocobos?"

Cloud turned to him, giving him a puzzled look. "A world run by chocobos? What?" He couldn't help containing his laughter though as he spoke.

"Hey! It's the first thing that came to mind. It's just a random thought, but seriously that would be so weird to see," Zack replied with a small chuckle.

Suddenly a silly smirk came across Cloud's face. "If there ever was such a world, we could easily blend it at least." Cloud pulled on one of the strains of hair.

The two boys stared at one another before breaking into loud laughter. For such a simple joke, it really had made them laugh. After everything that had happened, and everything they had gone through, it felt good to laugh. Neither of them felt like they had laughed in a very long time, so it was welcomed with no hesitation. The few moments of peace they took in as much as they could, but by far this was feeling like the best. Though they knew their journey was far from over. There was still much more to go, but they could only hope for better laughs to come.


	14. Chapter 14

Zack woke up to the sound of the ship horn blaring loudly. He stood up quickly and ran over to the railing to see what was there for the view. Up ahead was a land mass, and it was coming in closer every minute. The land mass may have been known as the Mideel area, but there was a town with in the land that was of great importance.

Banora.

After the few months of travel, they had finally arrived at their location. It was almost surprising that the long journey overseas was coming to an end, though Zack knew it had to come. But he knew one thing for sure: he would miss the time he had spent on the ship, with it soon being replaced by much strife.

"_Genesis…" _he thought silently to himself.

That was the whole reason why he was here now. Granted, he could have just gone into hiding and taken Cloud with him, never to be seen or heard from again. However, his honor would not allow it. Facing Genesis was something he had to do. For his sake… for Angeal's sake. His duty as SOLDIER would not allow him to turn back, even though he had misgivings about them now.

But despite knowing what awaited him in Banora, there he was anyways.

The time he spent on the ship was by far the most relaxing. Cloud's freak outs and panic attacks went down to barely nothing. Only the occasional nightmare now and again. After that last freakout with feeling too hot, nothing major ever really happened with him again.

But he couldn't be too sure what would happen again when they got back onto land. Out in the middle of nowhere, it was peaceful, and it really seemed to help Cloud. But going back into something that could prove to be dangerous? That could set Cloud off again. At least that was what Zack feared.

It did happen before after all with the farm. Cloud had grown peaceful and calm there, and after they left he seemed to fair well. But then he had his strange mako induced freakout in Gongaga. If it were to happen again, Zack was going to make sure that he would be prepared. He wasn't going to let it get out of hand. Or at least he would try as hard as he could to do so.

Speaking of his blond haired friend, he looked to his side and saw that Cloud was still fast asleep. Zack chuckled. Only Cloud could sleep through the sound of a horn blaring at him.

But it was time to wake him up and let him know where they were. He leaned over and shook Cloud by the shoulder. "Hey Cloud, wake up."

Cloud stirred before he opened his eyes. He let out a long yawn before he could focus his eyes on Zack. "Hmm what's going on?"

"We're about to dock. We gotta get our things ready and then head to get the motorbike. It's going to be at least a day or so of travel on it. You ready?" Zack asked as he held out a hand to Cloud.

Cloud took it and was pulled up to his feet. "S-sure… guess…" he mumbled slightly. His eyes were still quite heavy as he had been in a deep sleep. After getting to his feet, Zack was able to see that his blond-haired friend was a bit groggy and wobbly, so he threw his arm around his neck to act as a support.

"Seems someone is a bit tired. Don't worry about it, I gotcha," Zack chimed as he helped Cloud to walk some, hoping that his friend would wake up a bit more as he was on his feet.

The two of them walked around for a bit until Cloud was finally able to seem to get a grip on where he was and that he was actually awake. He stopped moving, which caused Zack to stop and glance at Cloud. The blond was fluttering his eyes a bit until they were finally wide open, and a yawn escaped his mouth.

"I-I think I'm awake now," Cloud uttered.

Zack smiled and let go of Cloud, allowing the latter to stand on his own. "Good then. I'm glad so that we can gather our things now. Plus, we gotta help unload the cargo. I know there wasn't a deal made that we would have to help out, but I wanna repay the guy for letting us come along."

"Oh… that sounds like a nice thing to do," Cloud said, a sleepy tone still in his voice.

After Zack picked up everything that was theirs, the two boys made their way towards the exit of the ship, which nobody else was departing of course because of the type of ship they were on. Instead, they saw some workers already starting to unload the cargo. Zack carried their belongings off the ship and put them down as he told Cloud to just watch the stuff as he unloaded. But before he could help, he went and got the motorbike off of the ship and left it near Cloud with the other stuff. Zack then went back and began helping with the unloading of the cargo.

After about thirty minutes, everything that needed to be brought off of the ship, was off and Zack had worked up quite the sweat already. He stopped and wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt before approaching the captain of the ship, who was in charge of everything for unloading.

"I appreciate your help unloading all of that. You SOLDIERs really work fast. You ran circles around the other men. But now we have more time to relax at least," the old man began.

"No sweat! Thanks for letting us ride along. I guess if you don't need anything else, then we'll be going," Zack replied with a slight upbeat tone in his voice.

"No, we're good. Thanks again. Safe travels."

"All right then, same to you," Zack said as was walking off towards Cloud, waving at the man before turning around completely.

Cloud had been just sitting by Zack's belongings, watching him unload the freight for a few minutes. Though, he had started to get tired after he sat there for a little bit and had begun to doze in and out of sleep. Just as he felt like he was going to nod off, he was startled by a sudden hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Cloud? You all right?"

"Huh? Oh… yeah. Guess I am still a bit tired," Cloud replied.

"Aw come on, you can't be sleeping this entire journey. I'd like it if we could switch positions at one point. You know, you drive and I get to nap all day."

"Hey! I don't nap all day!" Cloud retorted.

"You use to at the start, but you have gotten better, which is a good sign." Zack replied as he chuckled. "Now let's get going. We need to get away from this area and hope Larzard can find us."

"Right,' Cloud said before he got into the sidecar of the motorbike.

They took off after doing one last check to make sure they had everything. They didn't drive too far though, as the plan was for Lazard to meet then a good few feet out of range of the port. Once Zack felt like they were a good enough distance away he stopped the bike and parked it.

Zack didn't have to wait too long before he heard a faint flap of a wing. Soon, Lazard landed right in front of the two of them. He was seen clutching his chest as he breathed heavier than he usually did, the degradation seeming to take hold of him. They were all situated in between some buildings away from the main roads, out of view so that people would not see Lazard if at all possible.

"You're getting close. What will you do now?" Lazard asked, curious of what Zack would say even though he thought he knew the answer.

"We're not quite in Banora yet it seems. But I want to get there as soon as possible, so we will hit the road and head that way. You said you scouted ahead right? How long before we get there?" Zack answered quickly.

"Yeah. It's not too far, but on your transportation, you're looking at getting there tomorrow most likely."

"Really? Aw man…" Zack complained. "I didn't think it would take that long." He sighed. "Oh well. More reason to go on now then.

Lazard eyed Zack for a moment as if trying to survey something else from the young man. "And what about him?" the Director asked as he glanced towards Cloud, who was now resting quietly in the sidecar like the times before.

"Hey Cloud! I said don't fall asleep!" Zack exclaimed as he went to shake Cloud's shoulder.

Chuckles started to escape from Cloud. His calm and rested expression became tight with pursed lips, trying to hold in the laugher. Zack stopped shaking him when he saw this. Now he looked again at Cloud, feeling confused and puzzled.

Zack leaned in close to Cloud, right up near his face. "Are you really sleeping?"

Cloud laughed again and finally opened his eyes. "Sorry, I wanted to see if I could mess with you. You believed it, right?"

Before Zack could answer, Lazard joined in on the laugher. "I suppose that answers the question on you, Cloud."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, I've been feeling much better now. But…" Cloud glanced away, worry overtaking his expression. "I really hope it can stay that way."

"What do you mean?" Zack interjected.

"I don't know… I know I had some panic attacks back on the ship, but no blackouts. But still afraid they could happen again…"

"We will be sure to keep an eye on you. If anything does happen, we will stop it," Lazard answered calmly before crossing his arms.

"Yeah with both of us here, you shouldn't have anything to worry about," Zack chimed in with a smile crossing his face.

Cloud nodded once again. "Thanks."

"Now let's carry on with the journey!" Zack said as he turned the engine back on for the motorbike.

Zack made sure that Cloud was in the sidecar in the next few minutes and then mounted the driver's seat of the motorbike. Then, they were off towards Banora, with Lazard following close behind. The place they were traveling through seemed to be mostly ruins so there was no danger of anyone noticing a winged man, hopefully.

As the wind caught in Zack's hair, he started to think again. "_Can't believe that we are finally on the way to end all of this. Sometimes I wish I never would have gotten involved, but I have to see it through. If I don't, nobody else will. At least Cloud is here with me. Cloud…" _he trailed off momentarily. "_He is really holding his own now. He seems fine... but now that he is he may want to help me out. He has nothing to protect himself though. Maybe we will find something along the way to help him defend himself."_

A slight bump in the path jarred Zack from his thoughts as he noticed he was drifting off of the road slightly. Cloud looked at him sharply. "Sorry, I was lost in thought. I'll focus though. We'll be there in no time!" he reassured the blond as they continued on.

* * *

It took just about a day as Lazard had said, but they finally made it to Banora. Though, it wasn't quite what Zack was expecting. The land before him was suppose to be Barnora… but it looked so different now. At least, upon first glance. He drove a bit more until he stopped the motorbike and turned it off. He dismounted the bike and then walked a bit farther to see if what he was seeing was real. The night sky draped over the surrounding area as the full moon cast shadows over the land. After his eyes adjusted and the darkness was not impeding his vision, the picture was just as he had seen at first

The land before him was in ruins. He stood upon a sharp, grass-covered cliff that looked like it used to be one large landmass. However, there was a crater that had opened up below the ground and split the land into separate cliffs, all hanging over this one lower area. A bright, green light emanated from below, illuminating things even more once Zack stared down at it.

Across on the other hilltops he could see some dilapidated structures that seemed to resemble what would have been houses, though it was all wooden from the looks of it. A giant old broken down windmill was seen off to the right of where Zack was, looking like it was almost about to collapse any second. It was like Banora had been abandoned. Even the small house they had arrived next to was in rough shape, but at least it was still standing.

He looked around a little bit more, taking in everything, though it still left him with many questions. As he stood there pondering what could have happened and what that light was, Cloud got out of the sidecar and walked over to Zack.

"Whoa… what happened here?"

"I… I don't know. Something bad I guess. I really wonder though…" Zack muttered as he key his eyes locked on the ruined land before him. Could all of this be Genesis's doing? He wanted to know, but at the same time, he couldn't believe that he was here.

He couldn't focus on his thoughts for too long though. That light from below really had his interest. The color… was just like that of Mako energy. Just like what he and Cloud had been soaked in for however long that had been, just like what had made him into a SOLDIER, and just like what powered all of Midgar.

Midgar.

Aerith.

Zack sighed aloud, letting his frustration be known. He couldn't help but think of her again. That was why he had to get through all of this. Why he had to beat Genesis. Why he had to save Cloud. Why he had to escape from Shinra. All so he can see her again. His resolve strengthened upon those thoughts, his fists clenching hard as he anticipated what would be to come.

Before Zack could actually say anything, he heard the flap of a wing and saw that Lazard had finally caught up to them. He held his side before he came down and touched the ground. Once he seemed to have caught his breath, Zack faced him.

"All right, I'm going after Genesis," Zack said once he had come to his resolve. "You two stay safe."

"Wait," Cloud said, moving so he was in front of Zack. "Let me come with. I want to help."

Zack looked into Cloud's expression. How serious and calm he looked as he spoke to Zack. It made Zack feel happy to see him like that, wanting to help. But it still left him a bit worried. Cloud had come so far in these months, he had recovered so much. But he was still far from fully healed. And Zack wasn't too sure how Cloud would fare if he was thrust into a fight with someone like Genesis, or even any other monsters they might encounter. If anything triggered him to relapse… Zack only would blame himself for letting that happen to Cloud.

"Cloud…" Zack started. "I trust you, you know that. But in your condition, I can't let you enter into this fight. Not against Genesis."

"But why not?! You've seen that I have gotten better. And I wanna help you too," Cloud protested heavily, his arms doing as much talking as he was.

"Look, if I took you down there and something happened, I could never forgive myself for putting you in danger. Besides, you don't even have a weapon, and from the looks of this place, there's nowhere to get one. How would you even fight?" he explained to Cloud, hoping his friend would understand.

"But I… Well, I mean… that's true I guess. But still-"

"No buts," Zack's voice grew more serious, his normally happy demeanor disappearing. "I appreciate the offer. But you stay here. Even if you don't have a weapon, you can watch over The Director," Zack threw a glance to the winged-man, who was still clutching his side.

"I will be fine," Lazard spoke up as he walked forward towards the two boys-become-men. "I think it would be me who does the watching over anyways."

"You can watch over each other, how's that?" Zack suggested.

Cloud and Lazard looked at each other, a slight understanding hinted at they way they looked towards one another. The two of them soon turned attention back to Zack though shortly after.

"Zack are you sure that you can handle it? I mean, not that there's really much choice now," Lazard trailed off as he approached the two of them to be a bit closer.

"It'll be fine. You're right though, there is no choice. Besides…" he trailed off as he looked at Lazard intently, his eyes fixating on the white wing on his back. "I have to do this myself. For my honor as a 1st Class SOLDIER. For Angeal… I have to be the one that finishes this."

Zack's resolve was evident behind those mako-colored eyes. His face hardened as he stood up straight and proud. Cloud tried to figure out if Zack may have been trying to show off, but Lazard knew that he meant everything that he had said.

"Zack…" Cloud started, but Lazard held out a hand towards him as if to silence the boy.

"Understood Zack. Then go. And we will be here when you return. This will be your last order from me," Lazard said bluntly with a straight face.

Zack only smiled at his understanding. "Roger that Director. I'll be back when this is all over."

"Please… be safe Zack," Cloud said before bowing his head.

"Hey, don't worry. I'll make sure to come back. I gotta anyways," Zack said before going to ruffle Cloud's hair. "You and I got plans to get to Midgar, remember? I can't go breaking that promise."

Cloud raised his head back up, now smiling a little. "Okay, thanks Zack."

With that, he gave a nod to the Director, and then to Cloud as he turned on his heels and walked away. Now all he had to do was find Genesis… and deal with whatever was going to be thrown at him.

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for another really good chapter that i liked. Let's just jump right in and get back into the action!

It seemed as though a few hours had passed now, but it was hard to keep up with the time considering that it was partially cloudy and the middle of the day. A lone silhouette of a man began walking towards the hill that Cloud and Lazard had been left at.

It was Zack.

Though, he was not alone as was first thought. Over his shoulder he was carrying Genesis, which is the man and former 1st Class SOLDIER he had just gone to find and defeat. He moved slowly under the weight of the other man, but he was trying to make it back to where the others were gathered.

Upon getting closer, Zack could tell that he was at the right spot. Cloud was standing hunched over, while Lazard was slumped down in a chair right next to him. Zack tried to hurry along and get their quicker now. Within a few minutes, he finally approached.

"Cloud! Hey, I told you that I'd make it back-"

He stopped mid sentence as he noticed Lazard and that Cloud was seemingly out of breath. Not only that but Cloud had a gun lying next to him as well, which was strange considering there was nothing like that around the area when they first looked. Zack placed Genesis down next to the chair, allowing him to lean up against it. Then he started to look around.

Zack knew that Shinra was most likely in the area. Since they were closer to Midgar, it made sense if some troops were all the way down near the area where they were. But there weren't any signs of SOLIDERs anywhere. The only thing that could have given any indication of that was the gun that now was near Cloud. Zack quickly walked over to Cloud, he could see that Cloud was still breathing heavily, but other than that there weren't any other signs that Cloud could be freaking out.

"Cloud, what happened here?" Zack asked worryingly, hoping that Cloud was only out of breath and nothing more.

He appeared to be a bit dazed, but Cloud finally raised his head to look towards the voice that was calling out to him. Once he saw it was Zack, he snapped out of his confusion.

"Oh, Zack. It was you talking. You did make it back! I'm so glad that you did," Cloud admitted as he walked over to Zack and gave him a hug.

The sudden approach was unexpected, but Zack relaxed and welcomed it. Cloud must have been feeling lost without him there again, but he appeared to be holding himself together this time. Though, Zack was still wondering what had happened in the short time that he had been gone and dealing with Genesis. Finally, he grabbed Cloud and shifted him backwards so they could stand face to face.

"Cloud, what happened here?"

Cloud lowered his head. "We… We were attacked… by Shinra."

"What!? What happened? I mean, like in the fight. Are you okay?" Zack asked quickly, trying not to overwhelm Cloud too much.

"I-I'm fine. I managed to get a gun off one of them. Lazard helped too, but he…" Cloud trailed off as he glanced to the side. "We didn't do it alone. Uh… over there, that came to help us."

Cloud pointed off to the side near a large broken tree. Laying on the ground was something Zack did not expect. Zack moved over there slowly to get a better look. He stood over it as he finally recognized the metal beast creature that had an all too familiar wing on its back.

"It's you…" Zack murmured as he remembered back to when it showed up in the church, how it protected Aerith.

But it didn't move from its spot. It didn't even move an inch, and slowly Zack started to figure out it must have used all it had to take on the Shinra men that had come. It gave its life to protect Lazard and Cloud from what Zack could figure. And that was one thing that started a pit in his stomach.

"_I should have been here to help them. Now… now a piece of Angeal is gone… and I couldn't even get to thank it for helping…" _Zack frowned before he covered his mouth.

He didn't want to show he was upset. He had to be strong, so there was no room for sadness or crying. Besides, Cloud was there watching him look mournful over an animal copy of Angeal.. It would be too hard to explain anyways.

But before Zack could even do anything else, he heard a faint sound coming from the side. He turned to see Lazard slumping over more. Quickly, Zack ran over to him, his heart starting to race. "Director! Are you okay?"

It was a stupid question to ask to a man who was degrading, but Zack couldn't help his instincts

Lazard opened his eyes slowly, trying to focus on Zack who was kneeling before him. "Zack… good to see that you're back."

He breathed out once more before his eyes fell closed and his body relaxed. Zack watched carefully, but couldn't see any sign of breathing coming from the man. He could feel his heart twist as he stared at the man who had Angeal's face.

"No…" Zack muttered. He let out a shaking breath as his hand curled into a fist. He hit the ground as hard as he could, but it did not relax the pain that was surging in him.

Aside from the robot animal that also was a copy of Angeal, Lazard was the only person who was also that. The last thing he could have of his mentor… both of them gone now.

Zack clenched his fists again. He was angry, and a bit upset all at the same time. The only thing that he had left of Angeal was the sword that he carried on his back, which he was proud to wield and to have. But… the last remaining cells, the last remaining essence of Angeal himself… was now gone with those two Angeal copies. He had known all along that the copies would degrade at some point, but he had hoped there was a way to cure them. But he was too late to that as well. Now he had to live with that weight, the weight of failing to save his mentor twice.

"Is… is there no anyone I can save?..." Zack trailed off, a slight quiver heard in his voice as he spoke softly.

"Zack?"

Zack could hear footsteps coming closer to him. He knew it was Cloud, but he didn't bother to look up. He couldn't bring himself to do it, for a new terrible thought was seeping into his mind.

What if he failed Cloud?

For almost a year now he had Cloud by his side. He had kept him safe and out of harm's way… but how long would it last? If Zack's streak of failing to save everyone he cared for was keeping up with him… how long would it be until he lost Cloud?

These thoughts continued to swirl in Zack's mind as he continued to stare down. He felt sick thinking about it all. He dropped to his knees with a sinking feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. He couldn't bare to lose anyone else.

"_How can I even call myself a hero if I can't even save anyone. It's like everyone I come into contact with… I lose. I just… I can't…"_

He could feel his eyes beginning to water as droplets peppered the dirt in front of him. He almost could have mistaken it for rain, but Zack knew that was not the case. He tried his best to hold back his emotions for longer, but it couldn't last. Small sounds emanated from his mouth as he tried to suppress slight whimpers that accompanied his tears.

"Zack!? Are you okay?" Cloud's voice got closer to him and he could see in the corner of his eye that Cloud was now next to him.

He could feel Cloud's hand on his shoulder, but that still didn't make him look. There was no way he could look now. He probably looked weak and pathetic, and that was the last thing he wanted Cloud or anyone else to see. There was only one person who had ever seen him this vulnerable… and she was still so far away from him.

And now that his thoughts were already wavering, he thought back to her again. Doubt slowly crept into his mind. "_Will I ever even get to see her again? Sure, I beat Genesis, but I'm not free yet. What if I don't make it back? I can't fail again. I was entrusted with so much. Everything is riding on me…"_

"I-I don't know…" he admitted to Cloud through a wavering voice. "I'm just about… at my limit. The weight of it all… it's a lot to bear…" It took all he could do to say that aloud. To admit it to Cloud. To admit it to himself. He still refused to raise his head.

"Zack… You can't give up. You just can't… you promised…" Cloud's voice started to fall quiet. "You promised we'd get to Midgar together. I can't go on my own, I don't want to and I don't think I could. I need you Zack."

Zack's head jolted up towards Cloud at hearing some of his words. His eyes were reddened slightly from the tears that had been shed. "I can't give up?! Don't you think I know that?!"

Zack breathed in deeply to try and keep himself from snapping at Cloud. That was the last thing he wanted to do in all of this. "I know… but still. All of this… was thrust on me suddenly. I tried to hold it all in. I tried to be strong… but even I have a breaking point…"

Suddenly, without warning, there were arms wrapped tightly around Zack. Cloud was burying his face into Zack's shoulder, but he kept a serious and concerned look on his face. "Why didn't you tell me Zack? You don't have to suffer alone… You help me when I'm suffering, you know when I had nightmares and stuff. So I can help you too."

The sudden movement surprised Zack yet again, as he didn't expect Cloud to be so forthcoming. Zack's eyes widened at his friend's words and actions. Many thoughts rushed through his mind, but then a relaxed expression settled on his face as he himself relaxed. Zack thought through Cloud's words and knew he spoke the truth. He always tried to do everything alone because he thought that he had to. But Cloud had been getting better and better each day, and now he himself was the one that needed the help getting better.

Zack closed his eyes as a thought entered into his mind. "_I don't know what I would have done had Cloud been out of it this whole time. How would I have managed? I guess I shouldn't think on that now though…"_

"Thanks, Cloud." It was all Zack mustered for the moment, but he meant everything behind that simple word of gratitude.

"You're welcome Zack."

Zack sighed heavily before Cloud let go of him. He stood up and stared at the now lifeless Lazard. The thoughts of failing still haunted his heart, but he tried his best to push them away. He had to listen to reason and not give up. And Cloud was that reason right now.

"Okay," Zack said as his mind finally cleared. "There's still something we need to do."

"What is it?" Cloud asked.

"Just wait one moment," Zack said before walking off towards some trees nearby. But before he did, he placed his sword in the ground for the time being. It was quiet and peaceful in the area, so he had no need to continue to keep it on his back at the time.

From the tree he picked three dumbapples. He then walked back, placed on one Genesis's chest, who was still resting quietly, and handed another to Cloud. "All right, let's eat."

"What's this all about?" Cloud asked as he looked at the purple apple in his hand.

"Long story, but I'll tell you later," Zack replied before biting into the apple. He glanced over to Genesis as he ate. "Sorry I'm not the real thing…"

"Is is good?" Genesis asked in a soft voice.

Zack nodded. "Yeah!"

Cloud watched quietly before he bit into his own apple. He knew there had been some conflict with Genesis, but when all of that had happened before, he was far too out of it. Whatever happened through between Zack and Genesis seemed resolved at least. So Cloud decided to bite into his own apple and found that the taste was in fact pretty good.

Genesis breathed out a long breath. "The gift… of the goddess…"

Zack turned his head slightly before raising the apple up in the air to inspect it. "This apple?"

It was hard to see, but it looked like Genesis smiled slightly. He shook his head back and forth only a little, but it was enough to catch Zack's attention. " Huh?"

Another long and slow breath came from Genesis. "Angeal…" Finally he was able to lift his head, his eyes opening a little more before. "The dream… came true…"

His eyes fluttered closed and he went back to the quiet and still rest that he was doing before. A light green glow started to form around Lazard. Slowly the green light stretched up into the sky and Lazard's body faded away with it. Soon all that remained were a few feathers that floated down to the ground.

Zack watched with a solemn expression. His shoulders slumped as he remained there, standing perfectly still. Though a moment later he felt Cloud's hand on his shoulder. He glanced over to see Cloud giving him an understanding expression. Once again Zack felt thankful Cloud was awake and there to talk to him. If he was all alone with Cloud still in that catatonic state, it would have been so much harder.

Then another glow of light appeared, this time coming from the Angeal wolf copy. Zack slowly walked over to it just as it had finished fading away into the lifestream. But what was left over was something he didn't expect. A piece of paper.

He bent over to pick it up, wondering why it was there in the first place.

Then he saw the handwriting, and he knew right away who it was from.

_How are you?_

_I wish I knew where you were._

_It's already been four years now._

_This is the 98th letter that I've sent to you, but I don't even know where to send them anymore._

_I really hope that this final letter that I am writing gets to you._

_By the way, the flowers are selling very well._

_They make everyone so happy, thanks to you, Zack!_

_-Aerith_

When Zack finished reading the letter he looked up. "F-Four… years?"

He dropped the apple from his hand. "It's… no way. It couldn't have been…"

He stared at the letter again and looked at the date that was written at the top. He then flicked his phone open to check the current date and time. How had he not noticed this before? He rarely did check his phone anymore, so it must have slipped his mind, but it was still hard to believe. "No… it can't…"

Quickly he turned around to Cloud, who was wondering what was making Zack so worried. "Cloud! Tell me, how old are you?"

"What?" Cloud asked, caught off guard by the question. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just please, answer the question. It's really important."

"Well, we've been traveling for a while right? What month is it?"

"Beginning of September."

"Then we've passed my birthday, I'm seventeen now."

Zack's heart sunk slightly. It was just as he thought. He was thinking the same thing as Cloud, but with this letter in his hand, he knew now. Shaking his head he looked at Cloud right in the eyes. "Uh… Cloud. That's not true actually… This letter here, it's from Aerith. And apparently she wrote me letters for four years… then stopped. But the date… it was from about a year ago."

"So wait… that means…" Cloud trailing off, trying to process what Zack was saying.

"You're not seventeen… but twenty-one," Zack replied. "And that means I'm twenty-three…"

Cloud's eyes grew wider upon hearing what Zack had said. "Wait… what? What do you mean? I still feel around that age though. I haven't grown any. This doesn't make any sense Zack."

"I know, buddy. I really know. It's… weird to think about. But I suppose when we were…" Zack stopped himself.

Did he want to mention them being trapped by Hojo at the mansion? Telling him that was the reason they were gone for four years? Would that only set him off to freak out again? Zack wasn't too sure, but there was no other way that he could slide around the conversation. He would just have to prepare himself in case it did happen.

"When we were trapped in the mansion… I know you don't remember a lot of what happened. I don't either… but I think we were stuck there longer than I thought we were."

"Yeah, I don't remember hardly any of that. I don't even remember what happened before that honestly. It's just all fuzzy. But this… it's just a lot to take in…" Cloud lamented as his head bowed slightly.

"It really is… but… I guess that's why we feel like we do," Zack replied. He didn't really know what else to say as the news was still a shock to him as well. He and Cloud both were just looking at the horizon, Zack assumed Cloud thinking heavily as he was.

"_And maybe it plays a factor into the mako messing with Cloud and everything else. His mind still thinks he is a teenager when really he is older. I'm sure his brain is conflicted about that but couldn't understand it before. It didn't affect me though… could that have been because I was already SOLDIER?"_

His thoughts trailed off on that last though as is face contorted into a look of concentrated thinking. He couldn't really figure out what had happened exactly, but it was hard to believe it had been so long.

"_But now… five years… Aerith hasn't seen or heard about me in that long… I wonder, if she is moving on? Could that be what she meant by final? No surely not. I mean, I told her that I would be back. I just… never expected it to take this long. No! Don't think about it like that. I gotta try to keep hope… "_

A new tear fell down his face. "Aerith… I'm sorry I've made you wait. But please… I'll be back. I promise. We are going to get back, right Cloud?" His attention was now directed at his friend.

"Huh?" Cloud said, being pulled from his own thoughts. "Oh, yeah. We gotta get back. I guess. I um… don't really have anywhere to go now since…"

"I know, I know, don't think about that Cloud. You can just come with me. We will figure something out." At least, Zack hoped they would be able to work something out.

He straightened up a bit more, trying to look his best. "We _will_ get back. I am not going to let anything else happen to you or me. We are getting to Midgar and that is final. I am not going to give up. No matter what else is thrown at me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Zack though, he goes through so much and feels so alone. Thankfully he has Cloud!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continuing onward with this story! Thank you to all who have checked it out this far! It is slowing building up to a good climax :P

With new resolve coursing through his being, Zack set off on trying to figure out how to get back to Midgar. He was once again thankful that he had Cloud there to keep him company, and the two of them knew they would have to work together in order to get back safely. However that would be easier said than done.

The issue wasn't how they were going to get there. The issue wasn't even how long it was going to take. They both knew it would take some time anyways. The issue was…

"Shinra."

"Huh, what do you mean?" Cloud asked Zack curiously as they were on their way back to the docks, which was the only way they were getting back to the other landmass.

Zack knew they were on the run from Shinra. However, Cloud had been too comatose earlier to know that, and Zack never brought it up to him. But now that information was something Cloud needed so that he could be prepared. It was not a subject that Zach liked to think about, and his hope was that Cloud would be able to handle the revelation more smoothly than he would have before.

For the rest of their way back, Zack explained to the best of his knowledge about what happened with Shinra. It was a quick rundown of course, but he informed him of the information he had gotten from Cissnei and the Turks. About how the two of them were essentially fugitives. Eventually though, his long-winded session came to an end.

"So… you were right. About SOLDIER and Shinra then. A den of monsters…" Cloud thought as he took in what he had heard.

It was still all very confusing to Cloud, but he did semi-understand what Zack had been talking about. The hardest part for him to take in though was that they were on the run. But now that he thought about it, everything that he remembered happening seemed to corroborate that fact.

"Yeah, unfortunately. But I still value the time I was there. I'll always keep my honor though. And hey, if it weren't for Shinra and SOLDIER, we never would have met."

"Yeah, I guess you're right about that. So there are some good and bad then," Cloud said thoughtfully as he processed that information. Then he smiled at Zack. "I'm glad that it happened and we were able to meet at least."

He was honestly still not sure he understood about being trapped in the manor for four years. It was something new to him. If he had not already lost everything he had back then, he might have been more affected now. He shook his head quickly though and tried to get those thoughts out of his head. He knew that he would end up thinking about it too much. He didn't want to freak out again. He kept shaking his head, until then Zack noticed.

"Hey, um, what are you doing Cloud?"

"Oh. I'm just trying to not think about some of that stuff too much you know. It's still so… strange. But I… I don't know…"

Zack knew exactly what it was Cloud was thinking about. Now the thoughts lingered in his mind if he should have mentioned any of that, but he knew it had to be done. Cloud had a right to know what had happened. He surely didn't want Cloud to end up overthinking so he had to do something.

"Well, let's try to just think on something else then. How bout it?" Zack asked, hoping to lure Cloud into something else.

Cloud looked at him, and then looked back down. "Yeah, I suppose so," he said as he trailed off in thought. Thoughts swirled in his mind about many things. There was actually something that he had been meaning to ask Zack when they left Banora but it left him when Zack started talking about everything with Shinra.

"_Shinra… SOLDIER…"_

"Oh! I remember what it was!" Cloud exclaimed.

"What is it then?" Zack replied.

"I was meaning to ask you actually. I know that I didn't have much of a part in it. But… do you think that it was okay to leave that man behind? Genesis, I mean."

Zack's face became a bit more relaxed, but also serious. "Well, it's what he wanted. I did ask at least. But he made his choice."

* * *

_Banora, a couple hours ago_

"Okay, let's get going," Zack said as he looked over to the motorbike, which was thankfully still intact and in the same spot as before. "Grab that gun though, so you can have something to defend yourself with."

"Right," Cloud replied with a nod before going to pick it up.

Zack was just about to head to the motorbike when his eyes fell back to Genesis. The man still rested on the ground, leaning back against the chair. His eyes stayed closed, but Zack could see his chest rising and falling at a gentle pace.

Walking over to him, Zack knelt down besides Genesis. He may have still held a bit of anger towards the man for what he did back many months ago, but after all Genesis went through, he couldn't entirely hate him. Genesis only wanted to survive and not degrade. While his methods were not what Zack favored, he could figure that Genesis was desperate.

Now came a choice Zack wasn't too sure about. Genesis was weak and tired after what transpired underground. And Zack's good nature was telling him that he could never leave a weakened man behind, even if there was still that small bit of anger. But if Genesis was weakened, it was probable that he wouldn't be able to fly. That would mean that they would have to keep him on the motorbike, and it was already filled up with everything else.

But Zack still wanted to try. Maybe it would be different than he expected and Genesis would be fine in a short bit. "Hey… um Genesis? You still awake there? Ah… I was wondering how you were doing and stuff. Cause I wanted to-"

"It's all right Zack."

"Huh?" Zack said, surprised to hear Genesis speaking up again.

"You do not have to worry about me. I will be fine."

"But are you sure? I mean, what if something happens? You should come back with us," Zack replied.

Genesis shook his head slowly. "No. I believe that the Goddess has different plans for me. Our paths have crossed and interacted, but that part is finished now. My role is not to accompany you, nor you to try and drag me along on the rest of your journey."

"The Goddess?" Zack asked, thinking about what Genesis had said. Then he remembered what he had seen in the cave. "Oh… yeah. I remember that. Well, still, what will you do then?"

"That is up for the Goddess to reveal to me. All I know is that it isn't connected with what you must carry in to do. In time I will know though," Genesis replied before slowly sighed, still showing how tired he was. "I have to complete… my duty… as SOLDIER."

"But what does that even mean?" Zack complained at him. He wanted to argue more with Genesis, but Zack saw the tired look in his eyes.

"_Is it possible that maybe he doesn't want to come with us? Is he trying to atone for what he did? All this stuff with the Goddess I still don't quite understand, but I can't deny what I saw in the cave as well. But… I can understand him somewhat. I guess he sees this as his honor…"_

Finally, Zack sighed. "All right, if that is what you want, then I will respect your wishes. I don't know if I will ever see you again, but despite everything… good luck."

As he turned from the redhead, he heard some familiar words.

"Infinite in mystery… is the gift of the goddess

We seek it thus, and take to the sky

Ripples form… on the water's surface

The wandering soul knows no rest…"

A slight smile crossed Zack's face as he heard that last word. He looked to see that Genesis had apparently fallen asleep completely again. He didn't think he would ever understand the meaning of those words, but maybe he didn't have to. He averted his head back to the direction his body was facing and strode over to Cloud as they prepared to finally leave.

* * *

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" Cloud asked after a few minutes had moved by.

"I don't know. It all depends on what the Goddess decides for him… and for us, I guess," Zack replied.

"The Goddess? Who's that?" Cloud asked as he was unsure about it as well.

"I'm not really sure myself to be honest. But it's what he believed in so I'll respect that."

The two of them didn't talk for a little bit after that, with Zack noticing that Cloud started to nod off some. It seemed as though he was tired again. Granted, Zack could use with a break himself after having done so much lately, but he figured they would stop somewhere along the way soon.

After some more hours of traveling, they got back to the port and thankfully found out that there was another ship. One that they could catch that would take them to the port just outside of Midgar. It was a smaller ship than what they had taken before, so they would be able to travel faster. It wouldn't take nearly as long to get up to that other port as it had before, which was a bit relief to Zack to find out. Cloud had also been happy to hear that after he had woken up.

But they had to wait for the ship to leave in the meantime. And since it was a smaller ship, it meant that Zack had to leave behind the motorbike as there was no room for it on the ship. Zack felt bad that he had to leave it out in the middle of nowhere. After all, Cissnei had given it to him to use to escape. He felt like he owed it to her to return it. So because of that, he at least kept the keys with him. If he couldn't return all of it, he would at least try to return some of it.

Once he did that, he turned around to Cloud, who had gathered up the remaining bits of their supplies, which was only a little bit of food and some gil. "_Once we get to Midgar, we seriously are going to need to find some more gil. If we want to stay someplace nice that is."_

As he headed over to Cloud, he started to think longer and harder on the situation. "_Though… if I asked Aerith… maybe… I have to get to her. I need to find her first. I… I need answers…"_

Zack reached into his pocket and pulled out the letter. He read over it again despite the pain it brought to his heart. "_98th letter… if she sent 98 letters over 4 years… where are the others? Why did the wolf Angeal copy only have this final one?"_

"Ahhh! I can't make sense of any of this!" Zack exclaimed in frustration as he grabbed his head.

"Zack?" Cloud asked as he approached. "You doing okay?"

He could see the worry in his friend's eyes and remembered what they spoke about before. He let out a long sigh. "There's just a lot going on that I don't understand yet. I want answers but I'm so far away from them."

"Like what? I still don't understand really."

Zack held up the letter again. "This letter from Aerith… the girl I have been deeply in love with since the day I met her. She… she was unlike anyone I have ever met before."

"But now it's been five years?" Cloud asked, having a feeling what Zack was fretting over.

"Yeah… and I'm worried about what she thinks of me, if she even still thinks of me," Zack said before lowering his head.

"But we are going back to Midgar, and you're going to find her, right?"

"That's what I'm hoping at least. After that… I may just want to relax after all of this. Wouldn't that be nice? To sit back and not have to worry about being on the run?" Zack said with a sigh.

He knew it was a hard thing to hope for, but after everything that he went through. Just because he was avoiding Shinra didn't mean he was free from it. He knew it would be near impossible to do that. But he wished he could have some downtime… he hadn't anything like that in years now.

"Yeah, that would be nice," Cloud uttered in agreement. "That makes me wonder actually… where Tifa could be. If she's alive and safe. Maybe she's in Midgar too…"

"Tifa? You mean the girl that guided us through Nibelheim right? Well, you weren't there with me then but you were there at least. You know what I mean," Zack said.

"Yeah, her. I've known her since I was little and when… when… _that_ happened, I had not remembered her since. Until now…" Cloud let out a shaky break as he finished, indicating to Zack that Cloud clearly did remember the fire at Nibelheim. Or at least he was remembering now about it.

"It's okay Cloud. Don't push yourself if it all seems painful. I understand. Seems we are both in a similar situation. You know, I'm just glad that you're here with me," Zack added with a small grin.

"Same," Cloud answered. "I would have been so lost without you. I still can't thank you enough for that. Sorry if I ever was a burden before… you know when I couldn't think very much or had a blackout…"

"Don't think like that Cloud. You were not a burden. You are my friend. I couldn't just leave you. We have to make it together okay?" Zack assured Cloud as he clasped a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Cloud nodded having any worry that was left on his face finally leave. "You're right. Thanks Zack. Let's make it together."

* * *

Cloud and Zack were trekking across the barren land. In almost a month's time they had traveled faster and farther than they did before. They knew they had to though. They were tired of waiting and stalling around so much. But they were still a ways away from Midgar. From where they could tell that they were, it would take another several days by foot. And currently they were nearly out of food and water and there was no place in sight to stop.

"Well Cloud… I thought that we would make it honestly. But between you and me, I am about worn out," Zack admitted with a tired breath.

"Yeah… same," Cloud barely uttered out, looking as though he was about to collapse.

Things had not been the easiest for them though. Even though they had been able to hitch rides here and there in all that time, they had been on foot for a good few days. It seemed easier when they had escaped from the mansion, but it was cooler then. The weather in the barren, rocky area was quite hot and humid, causing their stamina to drop much more quickly. Luckily, Cloud had been more able-bodied on this leg of the trip; otherwise, they would have never made it as far as they had.

"Why! Can't we just catch a break!" Zack complained as he screamed at the sky.

He glanced to the side and saw Cloud shift slightly. Just then, the blond began to tilt to the side. Zack managed to move just fast enough to be able to catch him on his shoulder, allowing Cloud to rest for a bit. It seemed that Cloud was at his limit now, with Zack approaching his sooner than later.

"Well, seems that you are tired out," Zack mentioned.

Cloud mumbled something, but it was too quiet for Zack to make out what it was. He decided that it was best they just stop, as lugging Cloud around in that state was something that he was unable to do at the time. It seemed as though the journey back would be halted, maybe even stopped now. "_Ah what are we going to do now…"_

As Zack closed his eyes and thought to himself, he heard something from behind. There was something that seemed to be making noise on the rocky ground and it was getting louder. Zack turned his head behind him and saw a truck that was heading in their direction.

"Am I seeing things?" he asked himself aloud as Cloud would hear as well. "It's a truck! Someone's out here!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Hrm... " Cloud muttered, trying to form words but still could not.

Luckily, the truck was not moving too fast, so it gave Zack some time to react. He lugged Cloud nearer to the spot where the truck would be passing and tried to get in front of it slightly, while staying just enough off to the side of the road that they were in no danger of being in the way. Zack then started to wave his free hand up in the air as the truck got closer to them.

"Hey! Can you help us! Hey!"

The driver of the truck must have seen him since the vehicle started to slow down some. He came to a stop just in front of them and poked his head out of the window.

"Hey there, what are you two doing all the way out here?"

"Well we are trying to… get back to Midgar. But we lost our bike, so we've been on foot. We're SOLDIER see?" Zack said tiredly, pointing to he and Cloud. "My friend here is exhausted. Uh… could you maybe help us?"

"Hmm… yeah I can see you guys are SOLDIER. Well, I guess I can give you a ride. I'm heading in that direction myself, but gotta make some stops elsewhere before then. I can get you close but then that'll be where we stop."

"That's perfect! That would help so much," Zack exclaimed happily.

"All right then, well hop onto the back there then," the man stated to them.

Zack nodded as he lugged Cloud around to the back of the truck. Once there, he picked him up and sat him up in the bed of the truck as easy as he could. He then took his sword and Cloud's new gun and loaded them up as well before hopping up himself. Once he was there, he closed the tailgate of the truck and tapped on the roof. The man then started the vehicle and they finally were off. Zack was relieved. They had somehow caught a break and would hopefully be to Midgar faster now.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the second half of this chapter is the idea/scene that started this entire story. All of this has built up to that point, I hope you enjoy :P

Instead of a few days walking on foot now, it seemed like it was only going to be another few hours until they could be able to see Midgar. Things would be much easier then, and much more clear. The noon sun beat down on their heads, but the wind coming from the moving truck helped to alleviate some heat exhaustion.

Zack had just woken up from a nap and saw that Cloud was already sitting up and staring across the way at the passing land. "Hey, I didn't expect you to be awake already? Is the ride too bumpy for you?"

Cloud shook his head. "Nah, it's not too bad. But I already got some rest, I'm good now."

"Good to hear," Zack said before ruffling Cloud's hair. "Can you believe it though? We're almost to Midgar."

"Yeah, seems strange to think about. But I guess time has really moved faster than expected," Cloud replied.

Zack stretched his arms before nodding in agreement. After his moment of stretching he leaned back and looked up towards the sky. "So, what do you think you're going to do once we get to Midgar?"

"Huh?" Cloud tilted his head to the side. He knew it was just a casual conversation question, but he hadn't expected Zack to ask him it out of the blue. "What do you mean?"

"You know, after we get there and all. You going to try and do anything with your life now or other stuff?"

Cloud started to feel a little worried. He couldn't understand why Zack was suddenly asking him this. He shifted slightly before lowering his head. "I… I don't know. I thought that you said we'd…"

"Hey hey," Zack quickly said hoping to not let Cloud grow to worried over the choice of words said. "I didn't mean to upset you by that. I'm still not going to leave you, we're sticking together."

He looked to Cloud, giving his best smile that he could. "We're friends after all."

He ended pausing for a moment as a strange hesitation came into this throat. He hadn't expected it, but it just hit him out of the blue. The hesitation of the question he had just asked was lingering in him, leaving him wondering. Quickly he breathed out and added on to his sentence before Cloud could answer. "Right?"

"Of course we are!" Cloud answered with a confirmed tone. "You're my best friend."

It relieved Zack to hear him say that, but that strange lingering feeling could not be shaken. Sure Cloud was his friend, but Zack started thinking back to everyone else that he had thought of as a friend. Those he called a friend were either gone or he had not been able to contact in a long time. And most of the friends that were gone were because he wasn't able to do anything about it. He wasn't able to save his friends who he cared about. And still even now he was fearing for Cloud's safety and if he really deserved such a friendship.

"_Stop it Zack,"_ Zack complained to himself. "_You gotta stop being so pessimistic about that. You've kept Cloud safe this long. And that's how it is going to stay."_

Zack finally smiled back at Cloud. "Glad to hear it."

After a moment's pause, Zack continued. "So, just curious. About that question I asked. What about it Cloud?"

"Umm… I honestly haven't given it thought. I guess whatever you do maybe?"

Zack stifled a laugh. "That sounds about right. Well, I was thinking actually. We're pretty good at fighting, and we for sure can't go back to Shinra after this. So, we'll become mercenaries. A way to make money doing something we're good at. How about it?"

Cloud was puzzled by Zack's suggestion but gave it some thought as he hummed to himself. It did sound like something that could work for them. Besides, if Zack had already decided, then Cloud knew what he wanted to do anyways. He nodded quickly at his friend.

"Sure. Sounds good."

"All right! That's what I like to hear. At least we have a plan when we get back. We're in this together then," Zack said excitedly as he held out his fist to Cloud, who slowly met Zack's with his own as a sign of solidarity.

Now feeling a bit better than before, Zack pushed himself up to look out over the front of the truck. The wind whipped against his face as he stared out at the barren land before them. It was still a little bit away, but he could see it now. He could see Midgar coming up closer and closer.

"_Finally. Aerith… I am almost there. Just please… still be there for me."_

The sound of a bullet whizzing past Zack's face halted his thoughts dead in their tracks. Zack cursed under his breath as he tried to find the source. Though he knew the first thing was to get to a safer location. "Hey pops!" Zack shouted as loud as he could to the driver, I need you to drop us off by the rocks. And quick!"

"Cloud it's time to go," Zack instructed as he saw Cloud give him a nod.

Once the driver pulled over near some rocks the two of them jumped off and ducked down. Zack waited for a moment as he watched the truck drove off, thankfully with no one else trying to attack it. Zack sighed with relief that at least one man would be safe now, but currently he wasn't too sure for him and Cloud.

"Zack, what's going on? I mean what are we going to do?"

"Shinra's found us unfortunately… and I don't think we can easily escape them this time," Zack said.

His shoulders slumped as he tried to think over the situation. He knew Shirna was close by now, he could hear them in the distance. And from the sounds of it there were a lot of them. He already knew that there would be a fight, and it would not be easy in the slightest.

"You stay here Cloud, I'll handle this," Zack said, turning quickly on his heels.

Just before he could really leave the safety of the rock structure, Cloud grabbed onto his wrist. He stared down at him with wide and concerned eyes, clearing reading Zack's mind on what he wanted to do. "No way you are leaving me behind for this."

"I'm not letting you fight this battle Cloud. This won't be like anything you have encountered before. You gotta stay here where it's safe."

"You haven't fought anything like this either!" Cloud replied back. "You can't expect me to sit here and twiddle my thumbs while you fight. We are going to Midgar together, so we will fight this together. I know you are just wanting to make sure I am safe, but I can fight to. And together I know we can do this."

Zack stared at Cloud. He stared right into Cloud's naturally vibrant blue eyes and he could see the determination. There was a strength and passion that Zack didn't seem to notice before. Or maybe it was always there, but until now Cloud had not been conscious enough to show it. Over nearly a year Cloud had recovered and now Zack was seeing at what he could only think of as Cloud's fullest. Or at least near to fullest, Zack didn't have the time to really check given the situation.

But he found himself happy that Cloud wasn't going to give up and was wanting to lend a hand. "Okay, but you need to try and stay near me. I have a feeling though… this is going to get a bit gruesome. But we are going to do this, okay? Just don't overdo it."

"Right," Cloud said as he nodded.

The two of them removed themselves from behind the rock they were at, knowingly opening themselves up before the enemy. The enemy that used to be them, used to be their job. As they approached, Cloud nearly froze in place. He couldn't believe what he was looking at. Zack, however, continued to march forward ahead of him, not showing any signs of stepping down. His pride was evident in the way he walked and carried himself. He knew what he was in for.

Zack finally stopped several feet from enemy lines. The sound of guns being cocked and loaded could be heard echoing through the wasteland they were end, bouncing off the many rock formations in the area. There were more of the Shinra army than he thought would actually come for them, and it was almost like they sent their entire force just for him. Hundreds could be seen, and more were probably even behind them. Helicopters hovered in the air above them and stood with their sights aimed at where he and Cloud were.

Zack almost felt honored they thought they needed that much for him. At least, he would have been had they not been trying to kill him. He looked all around and allowed a small grin to come across his face.

"Boy oh boy, the price of freedom is steep."

Despite the smile still on his face, deep down he was quite worried. He wasn't even sure if they would be able to make it out of this situation alive. But he quickly tried to shake those thoughts from his mind. He couldn't allow himself to think like that. He had to make it back. For himself… for Cloud… for Aerith.

"Cloud, get ready. This is gonna be tough."

Cloud finally unfroze when he heard Zack's words. He looked at everything in front of him and suddenly felt himself become more focused. He couldn't explain why, but he felt more ready than before. He wasn't necessarily confident, but he wasn't ready to run away either. He knew they had to make it, and he was sure Zack was thinking the same thing.

"O-Okay then. Right. I'm ready then," he finally said as he stepped forward beside Zack.

Zack reached behind his back and gripped the hilt of the buster sword and pulled it out in front of him. He looked at it briefly, allowing his mind to think of everything that sword meant to him, of everything it represented. He gripped it with his other hand and held it up vertically in front of his face. He allowed his eyes to close for a brief moment as he took a breath. As soon as he exhaled, he felt more relaxed and ready to go. He opened his eyes and charged, with Cloud right behind him.

* * *

The battle with Shinra was finally over. Somehow Zack and Cloud had beaten the entire army of infantrymen after many hours of fighting. The two of them stood there looking over the blood drenched battlefield, seeing all of the fallen bodies. Thankfully the rain had started falling slowly, washing away most of what had just taken place. The two men stood there, letting the rain drip onto their skin.

The wetness from the light rain was relaxing, causing Zack to drop his buster sword to the ground and breath out a long sigh. He staggered forward slightly as he let the rain come down onto him. Though exhausted after the long fight and his body was screaming to relax, so he finally listened and collapsed to the ground with a thud. He leaned back, using his arms as a prop to keep himself upright, though he winced from pain shooting up his arms and back. Everything was still sore and wounded from the battle. Despite winning it, he didn't escape clean without a scratch.

Though he knew that the mako within him would heal things in time, he helped move it along with a little bit of a potion that he had left over. It helped stopped the bleeding and did relieve some pain, which was all that Zack cared about at the moment. He started to grin, happy that they had made it, happy that both of them that survived.

He had lived and so had Cloud. It was mainly the part that Cloud lived that brought a lot of good feelings in him. He had feared so much before about losing Cloud and that this battle could let that happen. But much to his surprise Cloud had pulled through. And that was what mattered most to him.

"Well, that was quite the fight, huh Cloud?" Zack asked, now knowing that they could have a moment of peace.

Zack waited for a few beats, but he did not hear a response back from his friend. Though he figured Cloud was just as tired as he was, or purpose even more tired. Considering Cloud wasn't a SOLDIER and had only recently recovered his mako poisoning, it made sense if he was too tired to talk.

"At least now we can get back on track. Back to Midgar and hopefully we can steer clear of any other Shinra guys. I can finally see Aerith again, and everything is going to be all right now."

After that Zack waited, expecting to hear at least something from Cloud, but there was still only the sound of the rain. But then a second later he heard a familiar clanking of metal. Zack curiously turned his head towards the sound to see what was going on.

There he saw Cloud bent over just a few feet behind him and he was starting to pick up Zack's buster sword. He wasn't sure what Cloud was trying to do, but he at first thought he might have just been admiring the weapon. It was a bit strange for him to do that now, but Zack was too tired to think too much on it.

"So whatcha doing there?"

Cloud finally had picked up the sword completely and held it in both of his hands. He also had some scrapes and bruises on his body, but they did not seem to affect him as he effortlessly held the oversized sword in his hand.

"I guess you've never actually held it before. Hey, it looks pretty good on you. Maybe I'll teach you some time with it," Zack said as he grinned before slouching over and bending his head, the tiredness affecting him more than he had thought.

"Mhmm," Cloud muttered, but it almost seemed unintentional with his shallow tone. He then turned and started to walk towards Zack, his footsteps slow but sure.

However, Zack didn't really hear the murmur that came from his friend. So he thought that cloud was just being quiet, which bothered him slightly. He thought at first cloud may have been tired, which would cause him to not say anything. But with the way he had lifted the buster sword just then, he apparently still had some strength.

He knew that Cloud had not been extremely talkative after the Mako experiments that were performed on them. At least not at the very start. But even still at the beginning, he usually would utter some form of response or make some small talk along their journey. Since leaving the mansion, he had been getting better along the entire journey. And by now he had seemed to be fully recovered. But now he had been quiet for far longer than he normally would at this point. Now that Zack heard footsteps, he wondered what Cloud was doing. Zack then raised his head back up to eye Cloud again.

"Hey Cloud, are you all right? You haven't said anything to me yet and so…"

As he was trying to finish his sentence, Zack saw it. Cloud's eyes were glowing bright blue, much more than normal. He also had this blank look in his eyes, almost as if there was no emotion there. His face was just calm. And it all made sense now.

"_Oh no. I thought he was mostly over these problems. Things have been fine for the last month or so. What in the world could have happened? Was it the battle? Could that have triggered something? And it doesn't help I'm almost useless right now too. Ugh…" _Zack thought to himself as he sat there, trying his best to raise himself up.

Since Cloud had been recovering so nicely, Zack had nearly forgotten about the blackouts and the strange mako affects that had happened. But now they were back, and seemed even stronger than before. Zack finally managed to push himself up onto his feet all while keeping his eyes locked with Cloud, who was staring right at Zack, still gripping the buster sword.

"Hey Cloud, buddy. It's me Zack. You have to snap out of it. I know you can hear me somewhere in there. You can do it, you can get back control," Zack said, hoping that his words could truly get through to Cloud.

And for a moment it seemed like it did. Cloud turned his head slightly, but the moment did not last. Cloud suddenly moved towards Zack, picking up speed as he approached, and still holding on to the buster sword. Zack was barely able to move out of the way, wincing as his wounds stretched and nearly tore. Not only that but his muscles were still tired, and magic nor potions could really heal that up.

Zack paused, trying to catch his breath. "Okay Cloud, I guess you can't really hear me. I can only figure that it is the mako that is doing this to you. Just like… like back in Gongaga. But you have to try and hear me! I am going to do whatever I can to try and help you before something really bad happens."

Cloud still did not hear what Zack was saying as he tried to charge him once again, swinging the buster sword wildly at Zack. Zack rolled out of the way to avoid the strike, but was having a hard time completely rolling through because of his injuries. His mind started to wander again.

"_Does he subconsciously think I'm an enemy? Something must have triggered this. But what? If I can just get my sword away from him then I can just try to knock him out without any real damage. Just like how I had to deal with an attack like this back in Gongaga. But in the state I'm in, this is gonna be difficult."_

He looked up to see Cloud coming at him once again. Zack tried to get up but his knee buckled under him. He looked around where he was and found an infantryman's sword that was laying there and picked it up just in time to block the swing that Cloud had made. He held the sword horizontally against the buster sword, trying to keep it away from him. He could feel the sword was not going to hold up against that much pressure for too much longer.

Zack was struggling against the sword that Cloud was applying. Zack watched as Cloud adjusted his hands on the handle and pushed to give it more weight. It inched closer to Zack's face despite his efforts to push it back.

"Cloud! Please hear me! I know this is the mako controlling you, but please you gotta hear me! Don't let it do this to you!" Zack yelled, trying his hardest to get through to his friend.

Cloud remained quiet and the blank look never changed in his eyes. It was clear that words alone would not be stopping him. It was clear that Zack was going to have to find a way to break from the lock and get Cloud to drop his weapon, but the part of how was still up for debate.

Zack heaved as hard as he could, trying again to push the buster sword away from him. Thankfully he managed to push the buster sword back a little bit away from his face and to the side. He put all of his strength behind the push as he gave a strong yell behind it, hoping that it could rile up any leftover strength that he had.

Then, his sword broke into two pieces, and the buster sword crashed down into him.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

A loud scream escaped from Zack's mouth, and he fell to the ground in intense pain. It was worse than anything he had ever felt in his life. His arm seared with such high levels of pain and he tried to grab it to see if he could ease it off. Once his other hand made contact though, it became wet. Zack looked over to it and saw blood dripping from an open wound. A large gash had been made nearly through his entire arm, only leaving part of it attached. He wanted to form words but the pain was too much. His head began to feel lighter, and the sweat began to pour from his skin faster than it had before. He still couldn't believe what he was seeing.

His arm had nearly been cut off. There wasn't any feeling in it aside from the burning pain. Thankfully Cloud had already pulled the sword back, and now stared wide eyed at Zack. It was as if he hadn't expected that to happen. But Zack could hardly pay any attention to Cloud anymore. He only continued to scream in pain as he continued to writhe in agony.

Cloud started to blink a few times at the sight, and slowly the hazy look was lost from his eyes. "Where… where am I? What am I holding? What…"

Cloud didn't finish his sentence once he realized what he was looking at. He saw Zack screaming in pain and the blood pouring from a horribly large wound on his arm. Slowly Cloud looked and noticed that he was now holding the buster sword in his hands, and at the tip of the blade was a crimson red liquid.

Cloud let out a scream of his own, dropping the buster sword to the ground. So many thoughts filled his mind over what had happened. His heart began to raise and his body started to grow weak.

Zack thought he was hearing a voice. He knew that he definitely hear the clanging sound of metal on the ground. Using whatever energy he had inbetween the pain, he looked up to see Cloud staring at him. Horror and dread was spread across the poor blond's face, and it was getting worse by the minute.

"Nono no… what have I done? It… It happened again, didn't it? I blacked out and something happened. This time I actually… actu-" Cloud cut himself off as he found the words stuck in a large lump in his throat. Tears started to fill Cloud's eyes, blurring out the horrible sight of a now mangled Zack because of Cloud's uncontrollable issues.

Cloud let out another yell as he dropped to the ground in disbelief. He screamed for several seconds, a loud, shaky sound coming from his vocal cords. His voice became raspy as he felt his throat becoming scratchy from the sound. Eventually, his yell became nothing more than a squeak, and he stopped when it started to hurt. His mind was racing so fast at what he had realized he had done. He couldn't even really think straight, with that coupled with the Mako having messed with his mind again. He crawled over to Zack to try to see if he could help in some way.

"Zack? Zack… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it, but I did this. It's all my fault. I'm a terrible friend for doing this. You...you should have just let me die so I wouldn't be causing any problems. I… I don't know what to do. I'm just… so sorry…" Cloud trailed off as the tears flowed.

Zack tried to get used to the pain enough to be able to try and help calm Cloud. He knew that he had to do something. However, the blood loss was starting to make him dizzy, and he didn't know what would happen to him at this point. Well… he had a feeling of what could happen to him, but he tried to not think about that too much. He wanted to help Cloud understand, even in the midst of his suffering.

He removed his only good hand from the wound on his arm, releasing the pressure he had put on it and blood started to trickle at a faster rate then. Slowly, Zack raised his hand up to Cloud's head and placed it on top and pulled his face close to his chest and tried to speak.

"Hey… it's… not your fault. It's… the Mako. Don't blame… yourself," he managed to mutter.

Cloud formed a look of shock on his face, hardly not believing what he had just heard. He raised his head slightly to look at his best friend. Zack's eyes and face showed signs that he had not expected. There wasn't anger, though there was some anguish. But his eyes pierced into him a feeling of assuredness, almost as if Zack was trying to help him. Zack then gave him a small crack of a smile before he winced in pain again.

Grabbing his head, Cloud went to wipe the tears and rain from his eyes. But when he opened them and looked back down, he saw his hand was covered in blood. Zack's blood, from where he had just pulled him a moment ago. He just could not process it all. He didn't know what else to say. He knew the Mako had caused him some issues before, but never would he have imagined this. His mind began to race faster than it ever had before.

"_What am I going to do?"_

"_What's going to happen to Zack?"_

"_What's going to happen to me?"_

"_It's all my fault. I caused all this."_

"_I'm such a failure."_

"_I should have been left for dead."_

"_Is… is Zack going to die… because of me?"_

That last thought was a sobering one and something that shook him to his core more than he already was. He found himself unable to focus properly on any one thing as his mind was swaying back and forth between it al. He grabbed his head as it continued to hurt, with the pain growing worse and worse. The pain was just too much though for Cloud. He let out one more anguished scream before mind suddenly went blank.

Zack saw Cloud collapsed to the ground in front of him. He could only assume Cloud worried himself too much, and sadly he could do nothing to stop it. He was too busy trying to keep himself going. He could feel himself growing weaker, each breath was a struggle to get out, toppled with the pain still surging.

Zack knew that he had to try and do something. He couldn't let himself die… not like this. There was still so much more he had to do, so much more he wanted to see. He still hadn't seen Aerith again, and he wasn't ready to give up like this.

Thankfully he had managed to snatch some materia from falling Infantrymen in the fight and some of it was cure materia. He just needed his weapon now. He fought through the intense pain and inched himself close enough to his sword to be able to latch on to it. He fumbled with the materia until he was able to place it into the holding slot on the sword and then gripped the weapon with his hand. He channeled through his weapon and casted as much of a cure as he could on himself.

"_If I can just stop the bleeding… maybe then… I'll be okay,"_ Zack thought to himself. Even trying to think took so much energy now, and it was still getting harder to focus.

After the spell was cast, he breathed out heavily, happy that there was a little less pain than before. It wasn't enough to completely heal it, but it did manage to help a little bit. But he still had already lost so much blood and used up so much energy. Concentrating to use a healing spell also had contributed to using up even more, possibly all that he had left.

Zack blinked a few times with his vision beginning to blur. He was still so weak and tired. Not only that, but the rain had started to pick up, coming down much harder than before. The pellets of rain struck his still open wound, causing him to grit his teeth. He kept trying to hold on, trying to stay awake. But his mind was slowing giving in, and his eyes were getting heavier.

"_I can't die… not yet…" _Zack took in a slow deep breath. "_I just hope that was enough… to…"_

Soon enough he couldn't fight against it and his eyes started to close. He couldn't even complete his thought. He still tried to hold on to consciousness desperately, not knowing what would happen should he fade. But before he knew it, everything faded from his mind and went black.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a couple of days and I left this as a cliffhanger didn't I? Anyways here I am again posting the next chapter!

There was whiteness all around him as Zack looked. He could have sworn he had only closed his eyes for a brief moment. Something had happened too. He thought for a bit before remembering. There was the battle with Shinra, and then what happened with Cloud, and then to him. He sat up slightly and looked around, unsure of where he was. There was nothing but there was also everything. It was a sight to take in that he had no words to explain.

As he was sitting there though, he realized that he didn't feel any pain at all. He looked down and his arm was healed, in fact everything seemed to be healed It all made sense now to him, a smile slowly coming across his face. Not in a confident way, but in a way that was accepting of what was going on.

"_I must not have made it after all. I thought that I would. I guess not though…"_ he trailed off in thought. Just as the last thought left his mind though, he heard a voice.

"Zack. I thought you were better than this."

The voice sounded familiar to him as he looked around to see where it was coming from. "A-Angeal?"

He continued to look around, but never could find the source of his voice. Yet, it resonated everywhere around him. Almost as if it was in his head.

"So is that it? After everything you've done, you're ready to give up. Maybe you really do tarnish the SOLDIER name," the voice of Angeal spoke calmly.

"But I… I mean, I don't want it to be over. There's still things I want to do. _Need_ to do. But, if that's the way it is-"

"It's not."

Zack looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"You're not ready for your wings just yet."

"Well then what am I doing here? Am I dreaming then? Isn't this… the Lifestream?" Zack asked curiously as he stood up and admired everything around him.

"Always asking questions as always I see. It depends on what you think."

"Well I don't know!" Zack huffed. "I was barely holding on there. And I'm hearing you right now. So either I'm dreaming or I really am talking to you."

Zack looked around, trying to find where Angeal could be. But everywhere was white for as far as the eye could see. Angeal chuckled softly as Zack's confusion grew even further, trying to process the situation.

"Don't strain your mind too much, though I know you probably already have."

"Hey!" Zack retorted, glaring hoping Angeal could see him. His mentor was still the same as ever it seemed whether he was real or not.

"Relax Zack, you will be all right. But you don't have to worry. I will be here when it is your time."

Zack breather put slowly, taking in Angeal's words and considering them carefully. "So I'm really not… I thought I may be it, but… if it's not… then I'll still be able to do the things I want. Right?"

"There you go, you're starting to piece things together. Besides… you have people waiting on you anyways right?"

Those words echoed through Zack's mind. It was true though. "Cloud. Aerith. What was I thinking… I can't quit now."

A sound echoed in the vastness, one that Zack almost thought was a light chuckle. "Now do not forget what I've told you; protect your honor," Angeal replied.

"Yeah, I know. Not so much for SOLDIER anymore though… but in my own way," Zack answered as he thought of all of the responsibilities he had and closed his eyes.

There was a longer pause between when he expected to hear his mentor's voice again. But when he finally did, it sounded much closer than it had before. "At least you're finally doing things on your own. Well, sometimes."

Zack looked up towards the direction of the voice. And there before him he could faintly see his mentor. His friend. "Angeal. You really _are_ here."

"Of course. Someone has to keep the puppy in line when he wanders astray."

"Hey! I'm not _that_ bad… well, maybe a little," he retorted with a huff. "But, I never thought I'd see you again."

"Well it's not for long. It's about time that you wake up now, don't you think?"

"I mean, I guess but…" he trailed off as he thought about what he was going to say. But then he knew he didn't need to. He only smiled slightly. "Nevermind. I understand now."

Soon, everything around him diminished. The bright whiteness faded from his view and darkness overtook once again. His eyes jolted open again. In front of him now was the familiar wasteland. The ground was still soaking wet, but it seemed that the rain had stopped.

Zack breathed out a sigh of relief despite it being a dreary, barren land. A land in which one of the bloodiest battles Zack ever fought took place. But that didn't matter to him, what mattered was that he was alive and he was going to keep on moving.

His relief didn't last too long as burning pain shot through his arm. He turned to look and saw that the wound was still there, healed and no longer bleeding out, but still severely damaged. After all he did have arm nearly torn completely off. Even though it was siring in pain, he couldn't actually feel anything from his arm. The wound itself was what hurt, but all feeling had been lost in his arm from what he could tell. It was completely useless now… just dead weight at his side.

"_Well this is a bit of a setback, isn't it? Why couldn't the Lifestream heal me or something? That would have been helpful,"_ Zack thought to himself before sighing heavily.

Without an arm it was going to be difficult handling a lot of things, especially fighting. Sure he could hold the buster sword with one hand, but usually it was just for a moment and then he would use both in battle. How was he going to fight with only one arm? How would he do so many different things with only having one arm?

Before he could let the thoughts grow too deep or negative he shook his head. "Aw come on Zack, don't be like that," he said to himself, this time aloud so he could really feel like he was reassuring himself. "I can get through this, it's just another challenge, but it's nothing I can't handle."

With all the strength that he had, Zack managed to sit up. There was still plenty of pain in his body, from basic soreness to still throbbing pain everywhere else. But his pain was not his main priority anymore.

Instead his priority was Cloud.

He looked around before seeing Cloud still passed out on the ground. Zack pushed himself to his knees, not trusting his legs to stand, and began to crawl over. Once he was over Cloud he first checked to see how the boy was breathing, which thankfully was slow and steady.

"_Now let's hope he will wake up with no problems,"_ Zack commented to himself, hoping that Cloud was going to be all right.

He had to make sure that Cloud would be okay and would be able to manage on his own still. If he couldn't, things would be even harder. Zack was in no condition to carry Cloud or help him along properly, not with his dead weight of an arm. Zack would need all the strength he had to use for himself to keep himself going, though he knew if it came down to it he would still help Cloud first.

Though there was still the worry about Cloud and if he was in control. After all, it had been some time since his last attack and none had been severe as this one. He had run off before he had squirmed and acted strange, but never had he attacked before. Well technically… the last bad attack back in Gongaga Zack remembered that Cloud had frantically tried to claw at him. But other than that, there was nothing else that dangerous that Cloud had done.

Finally getting through all of his thoughts on the matter, he reached forward shook Cloud gently on the arm. "Hey Cloud. Buddy. Wake up. We… need to get going before anything else happens."

Zack held his breath as he waited, the seconds seemed to stretch on forever. Thankfully a moment later Cloud started to stir a little. He groaned as he shifted slightly before opening his eyes. After that, he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position as he blinked a few times to focus his eyes.

"Zack?" Cloud asked in a sleepy voice.

His eyes looked a bit dazed or hazy, but soon he was looking around himself. His eyes started to grow wide as he saw the bodies of the infantrymen still laying on the ground. Zack could tell that it was upsetting to Cloud, but he knew sooner or later the Lifestream would finally call the dead to it and it would be like nothing ever happened.

"Where are we? What…. What happened?" Cloud then looked back to Zack and his eyes grew ever more fearful. "Z-Zack!" What happened?! Are you okay?"

Zack was about to ask what Cloud meant, but then he saw where Cloud was looking. He was looking directly at his limp arm. Though something Cloud had said caught Zack's attention first. "Wait, you don't remember? Like anything that-"

Zack cut himself off, reminding himself it was a foolish thing to ask. Cloud never really remembered what he did during his blackouts. He could only recall blacking out and that was all there was. If that was still the case… then Zack decided that he wouldn't let Cloud know the truth. He could only imagine how distressed Cloud would be again if he reminded him what had gone down in the battle and then after.

"No," Cloud answered. "I… I know I blacked out like before, but I really am having trouble remembering things from before. It's all really blurry."

"Well can you tell me what you do remember? Just don't take it too hard, don't want to overwhelm yourself," Zack asked in a soft and concerned voice.

"I… I remember we were walking for a while out here. Then… I think we found a truck someone was driving? After that I don't remember much else."

"_The battle along with the mako messing with his mind when he attacked me must have caused him to suppressed as much of it as he could,"_ Zack thought. "_It is probably for the best. I hate to lie to him about this, but honestly I don't think he would be able to handle remembering that he did this to me."_

"You are right remembering that we were walking, and we did catch a ride on a truck for a while. It was good until we were ambushed by a large group of Shinra infantryman. We fought them together, and we managed to take out all of them. But it was a lot, and I really do mean a lot, of men that we fought. And in the fight my arm ended up getting damaged. We were pretty tired afterwards considering what we did, and I guess we passed out. But hey, we made it though."

Zack couldn't bear to tell him the truth right now. There was no doubt that he would freak out upon hearing it. He still wanted to know exactly what happened, but it seemed as though he would not be able to get that answer currently. Maybe not ever. The only thing he could do was try his best to make sure Cloud stayed calm. He didn't have the strength to deal with Cloud should he start having issues.

He saw Cloud was just staring directly at his arm though. "Uh, Cloud?"

Cloud was able to pull his gaze away from Zack's arm and instead looked to him directly upon hearing him. "I helped?" I can't remember… I mean, know I can't remember, but argh!"

Cloud suddenly grimaced as he gripped his head. He crumpled to the ground as he let out a cry of pain.

Zack's heart skipped a beat as he reached out for Cloud again. "Cloud! You gotta calm down. Remember to breath, all right? Just breathe and relax."

Cloud groaned as he tried to look back at Zack. "It' just… my head hurts. It hurts so much."

Zack moved his hand to Cloud's forehead. He could feel the warmth against his fingers, a warmth that was far from normal. "_It's the mako again… it's causing him another fever. Or maybe it's from being soaked out here in the rain. Maybe even both… there are so many options here and I just don't know…"_

Thinking about what to do, Zack moved his hand once more and began to stroke Cloud's head. "Hey look, it's okay if you can't remember. I told you though not to push yourself. We need you to relax, okay?"

"Okay," Cloud replied in a heavy breath. He continued to take slow breaths until he seemed to be much better than before. Finally he sat back up once he seemed like he was going to be okay. "I just feel bad I can't remember. And plus your arm… you're hurt…"

Cloud's breath became a little shaky while his hands also started to tremble. It was clear to Zack that while Cloud wasn't able to directly remember, his body sure did and was reacting accordingly. Internally he was freaking out over what had happened, and Zack hated to see Cloud under some stress and mental anguish.

Still wanting to help Cloud more than anything, he reached forward and pulled Cloud into a one armed hug. "Hey now, I may be hurt, but trust me when I say it's okay. As long as I am still alive and breathing, that's all that should matter. What I want though is for you to be okay, so just take a deep breath and stop worrying so much, all right?"

Cloud's eyes widened slightly, shocked that Zack wasn't freaking out over his arm. But within the warmth of the hug, Cloud finally felt much more calm than before. "Okay, I'll try. Thanks Zack."

"Don't worry, as long as we stick together, we will be all right. I suppose we should get back on the road."

"But, your arm though. Do you… do you have the strength to even stand?" Cloud asked worryingly.

"Of course I can. Just watch me." Zack sounded confident, but when he tried to get up, that was another story. "Well… I guess maybe not."

"Well um… let me see if I can stand first," Cloud said to Zack. He figured that he might be able to at least help Zack in some way. Slowly, Cloud managed to get on his feet, despite his legs shaking from the pain and weakness in his body. He didn't think that he felt that weak at first, but after having his full weight on him, he started to believe that he must have taken a big part in the battle Zack had talked about.

Despite the disadvantages presented towards them currently, and despite Zack's seemingly joyous outlook, Cloud knew Zack couldn't be happy. He knew that he had to help Zack what he could now, with the condition that his best friend was in. After all, Zack had done everything for him through the entire journey, so he wanted to help him back.

Cloud then looked back at Zack's arm, and a thought crossed his mind. "Uh, shouldn't we, you know, do something for that? Is there anything we _can _do?"

Zack hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I'm not sure. Don't worry yourself too much though, I-"

"No! I wanna help… you. I'm not in the best shape, but better than you…" Cloud spoke out suddenly, letting his voice and opinion be heard.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Zack mumbled, thinking how ironic it was to hear Cloud being the one to tell him that. He shook off that thought shortly after though. "Okay then. Maybe give me a little bit of help then, since you're offering," Zack said with a smile winced in pain.

"Uh, what can I do then?" Cloud asked curiously, looking around to see if there was anything.

Zack looked around for a moment before landing his eyes on something. "Okay I have an idea, ugh," he said, clenching his teeth through more pain and taking things slowly. "The scarf from the troops. It should be good to wrap my arm. Maybe a couple of them. And maybe the forearm guard from one too."

"Ah you mean uh, from the dead men over there then right?"

"Well, yeah. Unless you want me to get it. It'll just take me some time until I can get there."

Cloud retracted. "No no, uh, it's fine. I'll get it for you."

He then slowly walked over to some of the men that were still lying there. He felt bad pillaging their bodies, but then again, they had been the ones that started everything. So the remorse was a fleeting thought in the wind as Cloud then proceeded to gather what he needed. The armor was more difficult to remove though, with the dead weight that he was having to shift around to get it off. Eventually he managed to do it and had all that he needed he hoped.

Once he was back to where Zack was, he laid the items down next to him. "Okay then, what now?"

"Well, we've gotta get this on my arm at least. Hopefully it won't fall off on the way," Zack commented. He tried to make a joke about the situation, but Cloud did not find it all that funny and did not even crack a smile at it. "Okay, anyways, let's get started."

Zack guided Cloud with what he needed to do to his arm. Though Cloud got the hang of what Zack wanted fairly fast, since he was also versed in the basics of combat care, just as all people in Shinra were. But his nervousness was overriding most of his common sense on it.

Zack was just thankful that he was not in too much pain so that he could give Cloud some help. But after what felt like forever, Cloud had finished up wrapping Zack's arm. Zack still could not move the arm, but he knew at least it wouldn't cause him too much more blood loss.

"Thanks Cloud, I appreciate it. I would say it feels better, but since I can't feel it, I guess I can say… it looks better at least," Zack tried to joke again, but it fell flat.

"Yeah, it's no problem. It's the least I can do."

Zack blinked quickly before answering. "Yeah…" he trailed off. If only Cloud knew how true that statement was. But now was not the time for reflection on that. They had to start moving.

"Okay, now that's done, you think you can help me up? Since I failed so badly at that before," he asked Cloud.

"Right!" Cloud said as he quickly nodded. He kneeled down next to Zack and Zack wrapped his arm around Cloud's shoulder. "We'll go slowly, okay?" Cloud asked, wanting to make sure Zack was ready to try and stand.

"Yeah, okay," Zack replied. Cloud helped Zack to try and raise up from the ground, Zack's heavy frame causing some strain on the already tired Cloud.

As soon as Zack felt Cloud try to raise up, he put his weight behind his legs to help himself to get into a standing position and hopefully not cause Cloud to have to do all the work. It took a few more seconds than he thought, but eventually he was standing again. Once he was on his own two feet again, he took a few moments to get adjusted to the feeling before trying to walk on his own.

"All right thanks Cloud. I think I've got this now that I'm back up. We're gonna have to be walking anyways, so I better get used to it again," Zack stated.

"Well I'm here if you need some help," Cloud replied quickly. "Just don't push yourself too hard."

"Hey, that's my line," Zack started, and stifled a chuckle. "We'll watch out for each other then. Anyways… let's get moving then."

"But, where are we even going? What do we do?"

"Isn't it obvious? We still have to get to Midgar. We're almost… there," Zack struggled to say as he started to huff, apparently his stamina was more depleted than he though as he struggled to even talk and walk at the same time.

Zack walked around for a bit as he was finally getting used to being on his feet once more. He approached his buster sword laying there and bent down slowly to pick it up, but he found that he did not have the strength in his left arm to be able to fully pick it up right now. He turned to Cloud.

"Hey, you could get this sword for me if you will. Place it on my back. Just… be careful with it okay?" Zack cautioned him with a worried look on his face.

Cloud tilted his head slightly at Zack's comment, but nodded anyways. "Sure…"

Cloud walked up to the sword and easily picked it up. But as soon as he did, his hands started trembling. His whole body began to shudder as he continued to hold onto the sword. He couldn't figure out why, but something was bothering him. Something about the sword bothered him when he held it. Cloud shook his head, trying to shake off whatever was trying to invade his mind and he walked behind Zack to place the sword in the holder. As soon as the sword was in place, Cloud stepped back and started rubbing his arms, while his body was still shaking slightly.

Zack felt the sword in place as he turned around to face Cloud. The sword definitely made standing a bit more difficult with the extra weight there now, but he knew he had to manage it. He then reached out his arm and placed his hand on Cloud's shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Thanks again Cloud. And hey, is there something wrong? You're shaking a little bit," Zack questioned him with another worried look on his face.

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine… Just…" Cloud trailed off for a moment as he looked at the land around him. "Just being a part… all of this… It's unsettling I guess. I'm not sure how to describe it."

Zack felt that something may have been bothering Cloud as he thought about it for a moment. The thought crossed his mind that maybe it had something to do with his sword, since Cloud seemed mostly okay before picking it up. "_I wonder if his body, or his subconscious maybe really remembers what happened. I don't want to bring it up, but… no Zack. Just deal with it later when all this is over. Maybe there will be a good time for it."_

"Well, I can understand, I suppose. Never thought that I would end up in this situation either. But here we are. Let's try not to think about it too much though okay?"

"All right then. If that's what you think is best."

"Yeah, Midgar isn't coming to us now is it? There's still things that I need to do…"

Soon after that, he started walking away from the battlefield, albeit slowly, towards the city skyline they could see in the distance. Cloud followed closely behind, making sure to keep watch on Zack since he was in worse condition. As the two of them started their trek once again, Zack began to reflect slightly on what had transpired.

He was a bit disheartened that he had to lie to Cloud about the events that had occurred there, at least where it involved him. It's wasn't something he liked to do; lying. However, he knew that he could not risk Cloud worrying over things, so it was best that he not know, at least not now. He could push it away for now, it could be dealt with later.

On another note, he admittedly was upset at Cloud for what had happened, though he knew it was best to hide that from him as well. Though, the entire thing was not really Cloud's fault, as he had no control over himself. He tried to keep that thought in mind as they went. Zack knew it was possible that he might remember later, but at least things seemed okay for now. The only concern now was to make it to Midgar. Maybe then, they could figure out what needed to be done, and piece their lives back together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there is the big plot point! Zack actually lives!! So now things can get on a new track with Zack and Cloud still side by side.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally caught up with the FF.net crosspost! Here we go now with the next chapter! Enjoy!

The two young men continued moving across the land. Their pace had slowed severely since their start, and it seemed to be getting even worse. Cloud could tell there was something wrong.

Zack kept stumbling over himself every few feet, and his breathing stayed at being heavy and out of breath. Despite saying he was fine whenever Cloud asked, he could see it was clearly not fine at all.

After the next time Zack nearly stopped to catch his breath, Cloud also stopped. "Zack, are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah… yeah. I'm just fine. Maybe a little tired, but nothing I can't handle."

Cloud could easily see how forced that sounded. Zack was already much weaker and drained than normal because of his injury, and it was clearly showing even if he was denying it.

"Zack, come on. You really should rest, just for a bit, please?" Cloud asked again, trying not to sound too pleading.

Zack came to a stop and turned to look at Cloud. He could see the worry etched into the blond's face. It seemed like the same level of worry that he had given Cloud, but now it was the other way around. Zack sighed before smiling, seeing that Cloud was determined to keep trying.

"Okay, you win. I'll sit and take a breather for a bit," Zack replied before sitting down on the ground. "There, you feel better now?"

Cloud flopped down beside him and nodded. "Yeah. I just wish it wasn't so sunny… it makes it too hot."

"Hey, we will get to Midgar soon enough. Then we can be inside where it is nice and cool. Doesn't that sound nice… air conditioning. Man how I have missed that."

Cloud laughed. "Yeah, I guess that would be a good thing to miss."

"What about you? You got anything you are really missing?" Zack asked.

"Hm, probably nice warm showers," Cloud answered honestly. "Or a comfy bed."

"Aw, don't tell me you are just going to sleep more once we get to Midgar. I think it is my turn to sleep for a while," Zack replied, this time being the one who laughed.

"Well after this, I think we both could use some good sleep don't you?" Cloud asked Zack earnestly.

"You're right about that. We've been traveling so much that it would be nice to rest again," Zack commented. "Just think about it though, we will get back and we can finally relax for a while before we do anything else. No need to keep hiding, well… we may have to hide from Shinra, but like we won't have to go on the run around the entire planet. I'd like to stay put in Midgar from now on if we can."

"Cause you want to see Aerith again, right?" Cloud asked. "I remember you talking about her before."

Zack smiled. "Yeah. Aerith… she's the most wonderful girl I have ever met. Wait till you meet her. I just hope she hasn't forgotten about me…"

"It sounds like you two were close… I'm sure that she still remembers you then," Cloud added in, hoping to make things easier on Zack.

"I guess that makes sense. Well, all the more reason that I wanna get back there quickly," he said quickly before running out of breath. "I appreciate that, Cloud."

"You're welcome Zack," Cloud replied. His eyes became a bit more somber all of a sudden. "I wish I had someone waiting back there for me."

A look of concern etched across Zack's face upon hearing that. He started to say something, but then stopped himself. What could he tell Cloud that would make him feel better about that? The more he thought, the more he figured that he shouldn't say much about it. After all, he didn't want Cloud to worry too much about anything.

However, as he sat there, he finally thought about someone. "Hey, you never know. Maybe someone you know is there. What about Tifa?"

Cloud blinked slowly at Zack. "Tifa? I mean, the last thing I remember about her… is Sephiroth. Nibelheim… And he… he… I don't know what happened to her…" he trailed off, his words breaking slightly more as he continued, the hint of sadness forming in his tonality.

Zack right away regretted his words. Now that he recalled the event when he gave it thought, he knew that Nibelheim had been burning and Tifa… Zack remembered she was angry. Angry at Shinra and SOLDIER. After that though he couldn't really recall what happened to her. Had she escaped or had the fire consumed her with the rest of the town? Now that Zack thought about it, he felt really bad for asking.

He laid his head in the palm of his hand. "I'm sorry Cloud… didn't mean to bring up a bad memory…" Zack muttered softly, but just loud enough so that he could be heard.

"It's fine… I'm trying not to let it get to me… still leaves me a bit uneasy though. I still can't remember too much from then…" Cloud sighed heavily.

"Okay, if you say so. But that's a good mindset. Let's not focus on it then…" Zack said as his words fell off, not being able to think of anything else to add on.

An awkward silence fell between the two of them then, neither one seeming to know what to say anymore. The silence didn't last very long though, as a distance humming sound could be heard. It was hard to tell at first what direction it was coming from, but then far off on the horizon, Zack could see something black in the sky.

He squinted his eyes as it was hard to see from a distance, but once he caught sight of the way it looked, Zack knew what it was. The Shinra logo was unmistakable. "_Crap, not now. We're worn out from the major battle. I'm in no shape to fight. And Cloud… well, he can't either. I thought it was over…"_

Turning to Cloud, he breathed in deeply and gave a half-hearted smile with mixed emotions. "Well, looks like freedom really is steep after all."

"What do you mean Zack?"

"You don't hear it? Well then, look," he said to Cloud as he pointed his finger in the direction of the helicopter.

Cloud's mouth dropped. "You don't mean…"

"I'm afraid so," Zack interjected. "I can't really move much even if I want. And as much as I hate to admit it, there's no way that we can get away."

"So we're just giving up?"

"No… not giving up. Don't think of it that way," Zack said, keeping his eyes on the helicopter. "We are just… well…" He let out a long sigh, trying to find the right words. "We just aren't giving up, we'll find a way."

The wind pressure picked up as the helicopter started to descend towards the ground, near where Zack and Cloud were sitting. There was no point in them talking at the time since the sound was so loud they wouldn't be able to hear. All they could do was just to look. After a few more minutes, the black stealth chopper landed smoothly and powered down, the loudness it was generating dissipating.

Zack gritted his teeth, not knowing what he should do. He wanted to still protect Cloud, protect himself. But he couldn't do anything. But, when the door to the helicopter opened, who he saw was not what he had expected.

"Long time no see. Ya know, you're a hard man to find it seems," the man spoke.

The man that appeared had unmistakable red hair, with a thin tail on each side draping behind his ears. He was definitely a member of the Turks, as evidenced by his black suit, though his was slightly more open than most. Even though Zack had only met him once, he wouldn't forget a face that was that unique.

"R-Reno? What are you doing here?" he said, trying to sound surprised but also cautious.

"Well isn't that obvious? We're here for you, hero boy."

"We?"

"Yes. We have orders from Tseng to find you," a deeper voice answered.

The other man stepped out from behind Reno and showed himself as he moved away from the shadows. Once again it was someone else very familiar to Zack, even if he had only really seen the man once or twice before.

"Rude? You're here to?"

"We usually get paired together," Reno answered giving Rude a side glance.

"That isn't the topic," Rude replied, not even bothering to look at Reno. Instead he looked at Zack and Cloud. "What is the topic… is you two."

Zack slowly tried to push himself to his feet, though his body was still sore and screaming at him to rest. "We aren't going anywhere with you two. We didn't come this far just to fail now."

"Who said you would be failing if you were to come with us?" Rude asked, his expression still quiet serious and calm.

"Yeah man, you need to listen to the fact first. We're here to help you," Reno added. His eyes then shifted to Zack's arm, and his eyes widened a bit. "And now that I see that, I think you seriously do need our help."

Zack grimaced at Reno's words. He knew the red-haired man spoke the truth. But he didn't want to have to go with them. It was Shinra after all. The very people they're trying to evade. What could he do though? Zack finally decided to at least listen to what Reno had to say. It's not like he could go anywhere anyways.

He was about to speak when Cloud nudged him on the shoulder. "Uh, Zack who are these guys? I don't know what's going on."

"They're with Shinra. Special operatives called the Turks. I'm sure you've heard of them. I'm not sure what's going on but I'm trying to find out," Zack answered to him quietly. "Just relax for now and let me talk to them okay?"

Cloud looked like what he wanted to say something else, but instead he nodded and accepted what Zack had said.

Zack then turned his attention back to Reno. "Okay yeah. Just, what do you guys want? And don't give me some generic answer."

"We told you, we were given orders from Tseng that we find you," Rude answered.

"Yeah, and what about after that? What do you do with me now that you have found me. You already said 'to help me' but that isn't clear enough."

"I guess you think we're trying to take you back to Shinra right?" Reno answered back. "Well that's not the case. To put it bluntly, Tseng wanted us to find you before the Shinra army did."

"But it looks like they beat us to it," Rude added.

"Besides, look at you. Your arm is a mess, you've probably lost a lot of blood, and you nor your friend here are in any shape to continue. Tseng gave us orders, and we're going to see it through."

Zack squinted his eyes in caution. He knew that he and Tseng usually would get along, and they were friends at some point. But with everything that happened, after four years, would that still be the case?

"How can I know you're telling me the truth? I want to believe you. But with everything going on, I'm not exactly a fan of Shinra anymore."

"Well would you want to hear it from Tseng himself then?" Reno asked casually, pointing towards the helicopter.

"Sorry, but I'm still not convinced about your intentions."

Reno sighed. He moved towards the helicopter and grabbed something out of it. When he turned back around, he appeared to be holding a glass case of some kind with the big bold letters that read 'SEALED'. Reno walked closer towards Zack, who kept his eyes focused on the red-haired man. He held it out to Zack to let him grab it.

"Look and see if that convinces you then."

Zack stared at the case and saw that the bottom right of it had the Shinra logo on it as well. But when he started to examine things more closely under the giant 'SEALED' badge, he saw there were a multitude of envelopes inside of it. He pulled the case closer to his face and tried to read the writing that was on some of the envelopes. When he was finally able to make out some it, his heart wrenched.

"A-Aerith…" he muttered out as he rubbed the top of the case with his hand.

Cloud looked over at his friend, seeing the pained look in his eyes as Zack hung his head. "Zack? Are you, uh, all right? Is that…?"

He couldn't finish as Zack began to waver back and forth and began to fall. Despite his own pains, Cloud had made it to his feet barely just to keep Zack from falling over.

"Thanks," Zack muttered out as he leaned on Cloud for support.

He tried to recompose his thoughts as quickly as he could. "The other eighty-eight letters from her. I… I don't even know…" He tried to speak but his mind was racing through so many thoughts at once.

He shook his head quickly and tried to refocus. He looked at Reno right after, a more determined look in his eyes now. "Where is Tseng? I want to speak to him."

"It's the headset in the chopper. It's a secure line he set up, so not even Shinra knows what we're talking about. I assume you're coming then?"

"Yeah. After seeing that how could I not. Besides… it looks to be my best bet on getting back to Midgar anyways," Zack answered back.

He then turned to Cloud who was still staring at them. "We're going with them."

"W-Wait what? But why? Isn't that… still Shinra?" Cloud complained, not understanding what all was happening.

"They are, but this is different. Tseng… I know him. And it seems I can still trust him even now. It's our only chance. Just trust me, okay?"

Cloud was conflicted for a few seconds. He then thought about everything else that they had been through. He finally surmised that Zack would not lead him astray as his face relaxed a bit more.

"Okay then, let's go," Cloud answered as he tried to help lead Zack on towards the chopper, though Cloud himself started to stumble.

Rude walked closer to the two of them and offered to help move them, while Reno was just looking on. Cloud was happy to have the assistance of someone else, as he was starting to feel more tired than he did before. Zack as well was glad to have the help, and he was relieved that Cloud would not have to shoulder it all.

Once he had a good hold on them, Rude helped lead the two of them to the helicopter. Reno, meanwhile, grabbed the buster sword that was laying on the ground, as he figured Zack would want it anyways. When he tried to pick it up, he halted for a moment as the sheer weight of it.

"This is what you carry around all the time? No wonder you're tired. This thing weighs a ton!"

Zack chuckled as he heard Reno's complaint. "It's not that bad once you get used to it."

Cloud and Zack both climbed into the back of the helicopter after Rude had finished leading them there. Reno followed shortly behind, handing the sword off to Rude for him to load it up. Reno and Rude boarded the chopper shortly after and closed the doors. Reno then handed the headset back towards Zack.

"Here, you'll need this. It's all ready to go."

Reno turned back around and started up the helicopter. It whirled to life and once it had been spinning up for a few minutes, he lifted up the handle and took off.

Zack took it and placed it on his head the best that he could with just one hand. As soon as he had it in place, he started to speak. "Uh, hello?"

"_Hello Zack. Been a while hasn't it? The fact that you're here means Reno and Rude were successful at least."_

"Well… I guess if you call having to fight off the entire army successful then I suppose so. I'm still here at least, along with Cloud," Zack answered.

He was half tempted to say 'almost successful', since he didn't really consider his dead arm apart of the success. For now though he figured it was best to leave it out. Tseng would see him soon enough and get to see the sight of it in person.

"_So they still got to you first. Damn. I'm sorry Zack. I tried to get ahead of them as soon as I found out what they were doing. I only found out after the army had been deployed," _Tseng trailed off slightly. "_Still, I'm glad you're alive though."_

Zack breathed in deeply. "Yeah, I am too. But now, what is it that you want anyways?"

"_You've seen the letters I take it?"_

"Yes I've seen them. I haven't looked inside, but…"

"_At least those finally reached you. It took me a great deal of risk to procure those."_

"Thanks, Tseng. It means a lot to me. Getting these letters from her. And…" he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "It's nice to have someone else still on my side, despite what happened."

"_Well, it wasn't all me. You'll have Cissnei to thank for some of this as well. It's thanks to her that I found out about the situation you were in."_

"Wait, is that why…?"

"_Yes, exactly. She just couldn't say anything too revealing over the channels. But I knew then what was going on. I just wish I could have been faster…"_

"It's fine," Zack cut him off. "I had no idea you would be looking out for me anyways. You probably did all you could. Don't blame yourself."

Tseng hesitated on the other end, but then spoke back up. "_Okay. Well then, by now you've left the outskirts I assume."_

"Yeah, we have. But, where exactly are we going? Will we be back in Midgar?

"_I can't say. This is a secure channel, but I still don't want to say anything too much. Eventually, yes for Midgar. But for now, you'll have to wait and see. The trip won't be too long, so I'll see you and your friend soon."_

The signal to the other end sounded like it just cut off abruptly. Tseng had hung up.

Zack sighed and leaned back, closing his eyes. "Well at least that's taken care of."

He handed the headset back before turning to Cloud, who had his eyes closed and currently was doing some deep breathing. "Ah, hey Cloud? You doing okay?"

Cloud slowly nodded, but didn't open his eyes. "Just a little motion sick."

"Still having that? I thought you got over that when we were back on the ship."

"That was on water, this is in the sky. It's different," Cloud replied.

"That's new. Never heard of a SOLDIER who got motion sickness," Reno said lightly.

"Not… SOLDIER…" Cloud muttered, seemilny trying to keep himself from concentrating too hard on anything else.

"Wait, you're not even SOLDIER? Then how did you end up… well here?" Reno questioned.

"Well, it's very complicated. And quite a long story," Zack replied, not really feeling like explaining everything at the moment.

Reno sighed for a moment. "Yeah you got that right. Seems like this is more complicated than I thought. Figures Tseng wouldn't tell us everything. Though, it wasn't our business to know anyways. We were just here for Tseng."

"There is always something more than meets the eye," Rude added. "That's just how it goes."

"But um… ya know, can I ask about, erm… what happened with your arm?" Reno asked, this time a little more quiet than usual.

Zack hung his head, throwing a glance at the now-useless member of his body. "Oh, that…"

He trailed off as he tried to think of what to say. He didn't want to reveal the truth right there, mainly for Cloud' sake. He knew he had to lie about it, but he wanted to make things as believable as possible. A silence was in the cockpit as they waited for him to continue.

"There were just… too many at one time. One caught me in the arm with a sword, and I moved just before everything was ripped off. Though I can't even feel it now," he finished, and hoped that they would believe him as he looked over at Cloud briefly, who had apparently already fallen asleep.

Reno hummed slightly at his response, and after a few seconds found the words to say. "I guess even a 1st class has it rough facing the entire army," he spoke as he managed a glance between Zack and Cloud while trying to not be too distracted whilst flying.

"Is that really all that happened then?" Rude asked.

"Yeah, for the most part."

Rude gave Reno a questioning look, who started to say something more, but decided to refrain. "Well, just sit tight and we'll be where we're going soon enough. Maybe they can get you some help for that too."

There were more questions and answers they wanted, but they did not press any farther on it. Zack also seemed to not want to talk about much either, and from their point of view, that was understandable. A strong silence filled the air again though as there was nothing more to say for quite a few minutes. The only sounds being heard was the whirling of the blades of the helicopter.

Zack decided with all of the silence that he would close his eyes and see if he could get some rest anyways. He felt he deserved it after all that had happened. The spin of the blades was the only thing that he heard for a while, in a repeating pattern for quite a few seconds until it all faded out like they stopped all together.

Then in what felt like a few seconds, he heard the sound again from the helicopter. Except, it sounded as though the blades were stopping now. He confirmed that to be the case when he was jolted more awake by a thud as the helicopter hit the ground, signaling that they had landed.

"So, where are we?" Zack asked as he went to wake up Cloud.

"Just on the outskirts of Midgar. Tseng still wants us to be as careful as possible so before you can get to him there is one more section of transportation you need to take," Reno explained before getting out of the helicopter.

"I guess he really is taking this whole undercover secure things seriously," Zack mumbled to himself.

Cloud yawned a moment later and opened his eyes. "We're here? Wherever that is?"

"Yeah, almost at least," Zack said before the two of them got off the helicopter.

Once they were off the helicopter, there was a black van with tinted windows parked a bit off to the side. Reno and Rude walked right over to it and opened the doors. "Okay, I know it looks rather sketchy, but just trust us when we say Tseng had this set up."

"That doesn't really help make it seem any less sketchy," Rude replied bluntly.

"Yeah yeah, don't rub that in. Just get in the van and we can go," he told Rude.

He then turned towards Zack and Cloud. "So, you ready to go?"

"Well we've come this far. Not much choice anyways is there."

"True, true. Well anyways, let's go then. It'll be a longer trip on the road as well, but we'll get there," Reno answered.

Once Zack and Cloud were in the van, the engine roared to life and they took off once again. This time, he hoped they would be going to Midgar at least, or at least close to it. Considering it was the closest place nearby, he couldn't think of anywhere else. He just wasn't sure exactly where they would be. But he allowed himself to relax again and try not to worry too much until they had arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys have been enjoying! If you have any thoughts let us know as we are very curious! Until next time!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Welcome back everyone! It is a new chapter ready and here for all to read!

The ride in the van was far more quiet than the helicopter had been, but Zack did his best to keep his mind from wandering too much. Though he still kept thinking about what was to come once they arrived at their location, wherever that was going to be.

Zack glanced over to Cloud, who was staring out at the window with the scenery flying back. Eventually Cloud let out a long sigh and leaned back.

"Don't tell me you are also motion sick here," Zack teased.

"Nah, just lost in thought. I can't believe we actually made it. Like we're back in Midgar, and we did it on our own."

"Well mostly," Zack interjected. "We did have some help here and there. Speaking of that…"

Zack looked up at the front of the van where Reno and Rude were. "Hey… so will Cissnei be at wherever this place is?"

"Oh? Worried about her?" Reno asked. "Yeah don't worry she'll be there. Bet you got some things to say to her right? I mean she did play a big hand in all of this."

"Yeah," Zack replied softly. "She helped me more than I thought she would. I need to seriously thank her big time."

"Cissnei…" Cloud murmured. "Name sounds familiar."

"She's the Turk that gave us the motorbike, if you can remember that early on in our journey," Zack answered.

Cloud hummed, thinking about it, but shook his head seconds later. "Can't really remember that far back. I remember the motorbike, but not how we got it."

"Yeah, we were freshly escaped. You were still out of it big time, but hey you'll get to meet her now at least."

Cloud nodded. "Sounds good."

They were driven a little father until they pulled into a garage of sorts. They went down a bit of a narrow passageway before coming to an area where Reno parked the van.

"Okay," he said turning off the van. "The ride stops here. We are now in the super secret totally not sketchy location Tseng wants to meet you."

Rude grumbled in annoyance, but chose not to comment. Even with no verbal comment, it seemed that Reno knew what Rude was thinking. "Aw come on, I'm just trying to lighten the situation. You guys get it right?" Reno looked back at Zack and Cloud with a hopeful glance.

Both Zack and Cloud looked at Reno and then at each other. They shrugged quietly before turning back to Reno, who sighed.

"Fine, guess I'll work on my stand-up some other time," Reno said before getting out of the van.

Everyone else followed and Zack took in his surroundings. It was some kind of discrete parking garage, and the only way out, aside from where they came, was a single door opposite the car.

Before they could get close, it opened up and none other than Tseng walked out. The first thing Zack noticed was that the man had grown out his hair, making him look a bit more mature and older.

"Oh yeah, I guess I keep forgetting about five years have passed…"

Tseng smiled slightly. "Zack. I'm relieved to see that you made it here safely."

"Well… mostly," Zack said gesturing to his injured arm. He chuckled slightly. "I tried my best to make it one piece, but I guess that's harder than it looks."

"Again, I wish we would have made it in time. I'm sorry about this," Tseng apologized.

"Well, I've just got to accept it right? Nothing I can do about it now," Zack answered shortly.

"I see. Well first thing is that we must take care of that then," Tseng replied.

"But how?" Zack asked, slightly shocked how casual Tseng was about it. "It's dead weight. I can't use it anymore, and I don't think there is any medicine or materia that can fix a dead arm."

"I suspected that you may have some injuries after your battle. At least your friend here is lucky that he made it through without many scrapes."

Cloud blinked before he realized that Tseng was talking to him. "O-Oh yeah. I guess I got lucky then. I don't really remember much of the battle…" Cloud trailed off as he stared down at the ground.

Wanting to prevent Cloud from thinking too much in case he remembered anything. Zack spoke up again. "So Tseng, what are you planning to do then with my arm?"

"It's obvious you can't use it anymore, but you can't keep going with it dead at your side. Besides, you'll have an infection, which could lead to worse possibilities. So there is only one real feasible option," Tseng said. He paused for a moment as if for dramatic effect. "A prosthetic replacement."

Zack's eyes widened. "You… you mean a mechanical arm? Like I would have a legitimate working mechanical arm as a replacement?"

Tseng closed his eyes and nodded. "We do have that possibility open if it's something that you would like to do. The choice is yours."

"Well I would like to get something done about the arm. There's no way to save it I already know. So… if you can do that then let's go for it. To be honest, it would be cool to have an arm like that," Zack chuckled, trying to remain upbeat about the situation.

"Only you would try to make light of things as they are. Come on you two. We'll get you both healed up, and I'll explain what's happened in the years you've been gone," Tseng spoke to them as he led both of them through the doors of the building they had just arrived it.

Once they were inside, Zack and Cloud were led to different areas of the building. Since Cloud only had some minor injuries, he was not going to need as much treatment as Zack did. But before that happened, Zack assured him things would be fine before Reno and Rude escorted him to another location. This left Tseng alone with Zack, who guided him towards the medical area where he would have his arm worked on.

"Now, there is much I wish to talk to you about, and I am sure you want to ask me quite a few questions. But first let's get your arm taken care of as much as we can. You will of course have to be fitted for a mechanical one, but that will be done after."

"Yeah I get it. Let's go ahead and get this started then," Zack replied shortly.

* * *

Zack opened his eyes slowly, the light that broke through his eyelids piercing through to his pupils. He blinked, trying to adjust to the brightness. He felt a slight dizziness about him as he started to become more aware. After a few minutes of trying to focus, he finally was able to see clearly again.

Currently he was hooked up to several IVs, with a monitor displaying his heart rate and other important vital signs. The first thing he thought of, aside from that, was his arm, which he noticed that he was not feeling any pain from it. Once he glanced down towards that area, he finally saw why.

There was no arm there any longer, which is what he had expected, but just seeing it now in real time was something different. It was almost surreal to see, feeling like he was dreaming it up, but he knew that everything he saw was real.

The former spot of his arm was thankfully wrapped up in some kind of medical bandage wrap, keeping it clean so that it could not get any infections. Besides, it would need to be cleared up before his prosthetic could be placed on him.

"Well it seems as though this surgery is done already," he said aloud.

"Yes it is. Good to see you're awake now," a soft female voice replied to him.

It was a familiar voice, but once that Zack had not heard in a very long time. Not since that night that he was on the shores of Nibelheim. He didn't realize that anyone else was in the room with him at the time either. He craned his head to the side and saw a very familiar face.

"Cissnei! That you?"

She still wore the same black Turks suit just as he remembered. Everything about her seemed to be nearly the same, including her distinct, auburn-colored hair. Though, it was longer than when he had last seen her, the hair now stretching down to the middle of her back.

"Of course, Who else did you think it was?" she replied sarcastically.

"Well, I… I was just making sure. You grew your hair out I see."

She nodded in response, not offering another word at the moment. Zack took the silence to continue talking as he closed his eyes.

"It's been a while. I didn't think I'd see you again actually. So it's good to-"

He didn't get to finish and felt a sudden impact. He opened his eyes to see that Cissnei had gotten up from where she was sitting and had thrown her arms around his neck, embracing him in a hug. Shock was on his face, as this was something that he didn't recall Cissnei ever having done before. At first he wasn't sure why, but then he thought about it and it all made sense to him.

He smiled. "I'm sorry I worried you, Cissnei."

"You idiot! You could have died. I was afraid we wouldn't find you. I… I thought I would never get to tell you my real name." Her words came out forced, as she choked back on her emotions.

"Hey… it's okay," Zack said in a soothing voice. He placed his left hand around her and patted her on the back. "I'm here now, isn't that what matters?"

"Yeah, I guess now it is. But still… damn, I said I wouldn't let emotions control me," she said, trying to not let herself get out of control.

Once she took a few deep breaths, she raised her head up slightly, still facing Zack. "Honestly, I would have blamed myself if you didn't make it here," she spoke with a more concise tone, just like she normally would.

Zack of course took notice of that. "There's that normal Cissnei demeanor I'm used to," he spoke with a chuckle. "But hey, no reason to focus on the ifs or ands or what-ifs now. We are here, now."

"I know that," Cissnei replied solemnly. "I'm just rather glad to see you again Zack, alive and well."

With that, she then started to move a bit closer towards Zack's face.

Zack was surprised at her sudden movement. "Hey, uh, what are you doing Cissnei?"

"Telling you what I almost didn't get a chance to," she replied softly as she reached right up next to his ear.

She whispered softly into his ears a few sentences. Even though there was nobody else in the room, it seemed that she was still being cautious. Once she was finished with what she was saying, Zack's eyes widened, clear surprise at what he had just heard.

"Wait what?! That's your name?"

Cissnei grinned at him slightly before finally stepping back from her bent over state. She breathed and and resumed her usually calm and straight composure. "Yeah, just don't say it aloud. Currently, you're the only person that knows besides me."

"Boy, don't I feel special," he replied with a snarky tone, catching a serious stare from Cissnei. "Okay okay I get it. My lips are sealed. But still, I guess I expected something more… elaborate."

"Yeah, it's nothing grand. But that's the way it is. But you don't have to call me by that if you prefer not to."

"Hmm… well it is a nice name. But I'm so used to calling you Cissnei that I'm not sure I can break that habit," he chuckled.

"Then we'll just leave it at that. I'm just glad I finally got to tell you."

An awkward silence fell over the two of them after that. Both of them averted their eyes from one another. Zack didn't really know what to say to her next, but he knew he had to try something.

"Umm, so where is Tseng? I haven't seen him yet."

"He's actually on business right now. He will be back a bit later though. But that's why I'm here. At least while I can be…"

Zack noticed the change in her tone, causing him to cock his head to the side. "What do you mean by that?"

Cissnei wrapped her arms around herself, like she usually did. She sighed before glancing to the floor. "Because of my actions in all of this, I need to try and hide for the time being. Until it is safe to come back."

"Wait what?"

He shook his head quickly, making sure that he heard Cissnei correctly. Zack positioned himself a bit more upright in the bed at that point, making sure not to pull any of the IV tubes or cords too much. His eyes focused long and hard on Cissnei then, staring endlessly as he tried to find the right words to say. But eventually, his mind started working again.

"So… what exactly happened? It sounds like you're in some trouble now. Tell me."

"I can't really go into too much detail, but I'll say this… What I did, you know to make sure that there was a chance you could be saved, it was really risky. I put a lot at stake to get Tseng to have all of this set up. Now I have to take the fall for what I did, and I understand the consequences," Cissnei said with a serious tone to her voice.

A look of shock and confusion slowly etched its way onto Zack's face. It seemed life had a way of surprising him at every turn lately, and this was no exception. Though, what he had just heard was something that he was having trouble processing.

"You mean, you went out of your way, and risked yourself… all for me?"

"It was something important to me, so yes. I did. I ju-"

"But why?!" Zack cut her off as he allowed his emotions to show clearly now, though his voice was louder than he intended. "Why go through that for me? I… I already had enough on my plate. You already helped me before too. It's just… do you know what you're risking for this?" he ended, trying to control himself as best he could.

"Of course, I knew I had to do this," Cissnei replied calmly. "Nobody else would. Every choice I made, I knew exactly what I was doing. It had to be done in the end, if I wanted to make sure you could live and survive this."

After a brief pause, she continued before Zack got a chance to respond. "Besides… if you hadn't made it, how could I ever face your parents again," she added, her response having a bit more emotion in her voice.

"That's not the point. I just… what if you get yourself killed? To know that someone, no not just someone, _you_ put everything on the line like that…" he trailed off, not knowing how to finish what he was saying.

"Well what's done is done now though. No going back now. We're both here right now, so I think it was worth it," she replied bluntly.

Zack started to speak, but he caught himself before he did. He was about to yell again, and he knew it. Now was not the time for that, and he knew not to let himself get out of hand. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, slowly moving air in and out. Once his mind was more clear, he opened his eyes back up and looked back at Cissnei, who was still staring a hole right through him.

But he noticed something. Her eyes gleamed slightly, which is something he didn't see often from her. He could tell that she was meaning everything that she was saying, and the emotion was clearly drawn on her face, even though she tried hard to hide it. A wry grin inched onto his face.

"You know, you have always been the one that just does whatever she wants. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else from you, huh?"

She stifled a small grin. "Nope, you really shouldn't have," she replied shortly. She walked a bit closer to Zack and sat back down on the chair next to his bed where she had been earlier. "Besides, didn't you say one time before you liked that about me?"

"Oh did I? Well, maybe I did," he began to chuckle at her response. "I guess I can't say much since I'm the same way. I suppose we're quite the troublemakers."

She simply nodded and held his gaze. Nothing needed to be said between them, each knowing clearly what the other was thinking. Years of working together and knowing each other brought that sense of assuredness between them. And even though Zack would have liked to continue the fun and games, he knew the matter at hand was a serious one, and he was still worried.

"Cissnei. Tell me exactly what happened. And don't tell me you can't say. We're in a secure location right? So it shouldn't matter. And besides, if this concerns me, I have a right to know," Zack said with a hint of firmness in his voice again.

"It's simply just my sense of duty. It's what I had to do. I couldn't let you get captured again or worse killed. I had to at least try. There was that and maybe…" Cissnei quickly looked the other way, not letting Zack see her face.

"Maybe what?" Zack asked as he cocked his head slightly to the side.

Cissnei ran a hand through her hair. "It's really nothing that meaningful."

"It's gotta be something, otherwise you wouldn't have brought it up," Zack replied.

"What I mean is, it doesn't really matter if I say it or not. I already know where your feelings lie."

"Just what-..." he stopped and thought for a moment, and then it came to him. "Oh I see…"

"Oh, you do?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, I do. I'm used to all the ladies being after me," he stifled a chuckle, but saw the deadpan look that Cissnei gave him. So he dropped the act. He sighed and then looked back at her. "You know, it might seem strange, but I've always known there was something there."

"You really think there could have been something…" Cissnei started to ask before breathing in deeply. "I don't want to sound selfish when saying this, but… I feel I need to get it off my chest. You think there could there have been something… if it wasn't for… her?"

"You mean Aerith…" he started. "Well you're not making this easy now are you. I thought that you were always too into business to worry about things like that."

"Sorry, but I just needed to ask. What's your answer then?"

"I think you and I both already know the answer. We've been close for a while you know. You know how I am too, so of course I wanted something. But you were-"

"Always focused on the job or on Shinra. Didn't seem to leave much time for anything else," she interrupted, finishing his sentence for him. "I figured I knew what you would say. And it's the truth too. My work always did come first. But…"

"But…" Zack repeated, waiting for her to finish.

"It wasn't until after you left that I realized. But it was too late by then. I wished I could have done more back when I first found you and Cloud, but my hands were tied."

"You did the best you could, you really did help us out with doing it. Oh… sorry I wasn't able to return the bike though. Kind of ran out of gas and everything," Zack chuckled slightly, hoping to lighten the mood from damping too far.

"Don't worry about the bike. But I do wonder though… if I wasn't so attached to my job. If all that hadn't happened to you. Could things be different…"

"This is a side of you I can say I've never seen before…" Zack started. "But, that's not a bad thing. I'd like to think it all could have been different as well. I think about those things all the time, but I never tell anyone."

"Then why don't you tell me?" Cissnei asked as she moved closer to him.

Zack chuckled. "Fine. But same goes for you too. Seems we have the time anyways. Deal?"

She nodded slightly as they began to talk some more. It started off a little awkward between them while they both tried to find their grounds again, but eventually things started to go back to how it felt before. They started to talk and laugh once more as if nothing had happened.

Zack couldn't have felt more relieved. After how much he endured, being able to just sit and talk to someone felt real nice, especially when it was someone like Cissnei. She had always been a close and helpful friend to him, and he wasn't sure if he would ever get to repay her for all of the nice things she had done. Either way he was happy that no rift had formed between then and they could keep going on as close friends.

Before too long, a couple of hours had already passed, time seeming inconsequential to the two of them. The conversation was winding down for the most part, but the last bits of it were interrupted by a sudden ring on Cissnei's phone. She looked to see who it was and then answered it, standing up and pacing around the room as she talked. She was done in only a few seconds though as she put the device away and turned back towards Zack.

"Well, Tseng will be back soon. And I will have to be leaving. Unfortunately."

"I see. Why don't you just stay though? It wouldn't hurt you to stay here right?" Zack asked curiously.

"I'd like to stay. But as we both said before, business seems to always interrupt us."

Zack let out a long sigh. "Would it be selfish of me to say I didn't want you to go yet?"

"A bit, but I wouldn't mind," she smiled slightly at him.

"Good, cause it wouldn't matter if you did," he chuckled. "But I assume you're going no matter what though, like you always do…"

"I'll be back someday though. Have to keep all these boys in line anyways."

"Where are you going?"

"Can't say. I'm on the run remember? If you knew, that would just be another person at risk. You've… been through enough already."

"I still feel bad, I caused all of this after all. I know I can't stop you though… but…" Zack grinned like he usually did. "I'll be happy to see you when you return."

"Like you said, what's done is done right? I'm glad I was able to get all of that off my chest anyways…" she trailed off. "Well, best to leave on a good note then right?"

"Yeah I suppose so."

The two of them shared another look with each other for a few seconds before she walked towards the door of the room. Once she was there, she turned back around and looked. "Goodbye for now Zack."

Zack gave her a smile back. "I'll miss seeing you. But take care… Rei."

A look of surprise found its way onto her face, but was soon replaced by a fair grin. "You know, it sounds good coming from you," she replied as she opened the door and walked away.

Zack stared after the door, wondering if she would ever come back. But he was glad things were finally settled between the two of them. It was a nice and welcome distraction from the more pressing matters at hand. He looked back over at where his arm used to be, a reminder of all that had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cissnei showed back up to bring some feels, hope you guys enjoyed that. There is still more to come though and Zack will get his arm soon!


	21. Chapter 21

Shortly after Cissnei had left, the doctors came back into the room. Originally Zack thought to question how Tseng was able to get so many people here as an undercover operation, but then he remembered it was better not to question things like that. He knew the Turks had their ways of doing things that would seem impossible to someone else.

The doctors began to explain what would happen next for Zack and how the arm would work. It was a little more complicated than he though, but he still did his best to listen. What he could gather though was that the arm had special wires that would attach to his muscles and nervous system. That in turn would connect it to his brain and process it as if it were his real arm.

Though the only hard part about that was, he would have to work on training his mind to use it, as it would still take time to adjust. His brain would see it as his arm, but it would still register as something new to his body. Zack understood and found himself ready to face the new challenges of working with the arm. No matter what, Zack was rather excited to see what it was going to look like.

Sadly the arm wasn't ready, as no one actually expected this to have happened to Zack, but they were right on top of it as soon as they knew. It was going to take a few days for it to be made, but until then Zack was told as much as he needed to know about it. Now all he had to do was wait.

* * *

Hours later there was a knock on his door and it creaked opened slightly. "Zack?"

Zack smiled, seeing the familiar blond hair. "Hey Cloud, you can come in."

Cloud shuffled in, keeping his eyes to the floor. He made his way over to the chair that was next to the bed and sat down.

"So how are you doing Cloud? Sorry they couldn't let you see me sooner, but hey everything's going good at least."

Cloud nodded, barely lifting his head up. "That's good at least."

Zack analyzed how Cloud wasn't even trying to look at him. Carefully Zack shifted himself to sit up better in bed and scooted closer to the edge. "Hey buddy, is something wrong? Or did something happen?"

Cloud still refused to look up, still looking worried and distant.

"Come on, you can talk to me. Look at me, Spike," Zack said softly.

After a long exhale, Cloud finally look up. "But that's what worries me. It's seeing… you know… that." Cloud's eyes shifted over to Zack's right shoulder was, where nothing was.

"Ah… yeah it is still a bit weird to see it gone. Thankfully no phantom pains or anything… at least right now. Knock on wood for that. They said it would take a couple of days though until the arm as ready. Man, I can't wait to see it!"

"How… How can you be so excited, Zack? You lost your arm…" Cloud replied before shuddering.

Zack reached out his left hand and placed it onto Cloud's head. "Hey, it's not that bad, could've been a lot worse."

"Yeah… I guess you're right."

Zack still saw the worried etched into Cloud's face, though it did make him wonder. He knew that Cloud couldn't remember the fight due to blacking out. He couldn't remember that he was the one that caused Zack's arm to be lost, but it seemed maybe subconsciously he knew. It could have been that, or just Cloud was straight up worried.

Zack was starting to feel it could have been a mix of the two things. Cloud was truly worried for his best friend, but also deep down there were buried thoughts in his mind telling him that he was to blame for this. With a sigh Zack pulled Cloud into a hug, with what he had. He had to hope that those memories never resurface in Cloud.

"It's okay. What matters is that we're both alive. We made it to Midgar, and everything is going to be fine." Zack moved his hand to stroke Cloud's back.

"Zack…" Cloud murmured, sounding relaxed in Zack's hold.

"Remember how we agreed to be brothers? That still holds even now, and as the big brother it's my job to make sure that you are doing okay. If you have anything to tell me, you can always do it now. We got plenty of time anyways."

Cloud breathed out slowly as he continued to lay against Zack's chest. He listened carefully to the steady heartbeat and breathing from Zack, so calming and steady. All of the tension and worries that had knotted up in Cloud unwound the longer he lied there.

After a few minutes passed with the two of them sitting in silence, Cloud couldn't hold back the truth anymore. "I… I had a nightmare last night, and I actually remembered it this time…"

"Oh, I'm sorry Cloud. I wish I could have been there, but you know the surgery and stuff…" Zack replied quietly.

He had protected Cloud from all of his nightmares before, but now he missed one. It left him feeling a bit guilty inside even though he knew it was out of his control. He wanted to keep Cloud as safe as he could, wanting to make that he would recover soundly. The only thing that Zack was glad about was that it hadn't let Cloud into blacking out.

"_Since Tseng isn't back yet, I can't ask him if they did anything about the mako in Cloud. I am sure he still has too much of it in him… It can't be good for his mind."_

Finally Zack brought up the question that he knew that he had to ask. "What was it about?"

Cloud did a series of deep breaths, most likely trying to find the courage to explain what had tormented his mind. "We were in the battle with the Infantrymen… outside of Midgar, but it was different. I was stuck. Like I couldn't move, I felt like my legs were stone."

Zack could feel Cloud shudder within his hold, and he knew right away were this was leading. He continued to rub Cloud's back at least, hoping that it would help the boy get through it.

"You were fighting alone… fighting them, all of them, on your own. Sometimes bullets actually hit you… but you kept fighting. There was so much blood…"

Cloud gave another shudder before he gripped Zack's shirt tightly. Tears raced down his face, soaking into the fabric. He had tried his hardest to hold back the emotions, but now they seemed through the cracks and Zack was now exposed to the raw feelings Cloud wanted to hide away.

"You continued to fight, but you were getting tired. Eventually more men came in, and you kept getting hit. Then…" Cloud choked on a sob, trying to force out his words as fast as he could. "You finally were at your limit a-and… they g-got you. R-Right through your heart and then head… and so much more blood. I couldn't even scream for you. Nothing worked for me, but then they saw me… and were ready to shoot. Th-That's when I woke up."

Zack stopped rubbed Cloud's back and went to holding him as best he could. It was hard with only one arm, and Zack was desperately wishing he had his other right now. He wanted to hold Cloud as tightly as possible.

Zack felt completely awful after hearing that. As far as the two of them knew, Cloud had never remembered any other nightmare before, but even with that none of them seemed as bad as this. Zack felt his gut twist back and forth as he held his trembling friend in his arms, the friend who was so shaken from one bad dream.

"_Dammit… why out of any night that he has a nightmare, it has to be the night when I wasn't there for him. I should have known he would have been shaken from that. I should have been there for him, should have had him near me."_

Zack shook his head a moment later. "_Stop it Zack, you can't blame yourself for things that you wouldn't know would happen. Yeah sure I know he has had nightmares before, but…"_

A long and drawn out sigh left Zack. He couldn't argue with himself now, he had to focus on Cloud. That was the most important thing, not whether or not he could have been there last night. "I'm so sorry Cloud that you dreamt that, but it is just a dream. I know it probably felt real, and it was probably scary, but you can see I am alive like I said before."

"I know… but I was afraid… afraid I'd wake up to find you had died. Then I'd be alone and…"

"Shh…" Zack hushed Cloud gently.

He didn't want to think too deeply on it before, but he was certain now that Cloud was going to have some severe PTSD. Heck, even he was going to have some after all of this, but Cloud was going to have more of a struggle. He had been hurt far more than any boy should have been, and that made Zack want to help all the more.

"Cloud, you need to breathe. Just keep reminding yourself that it was only a nightmare and I am right here. You hear my heartbeat right?"

Zack waited a bit before Cloud slowly nodded.

"Yeah, you see? That proves your nightmare wrong," Zack said before moving his hair to Cloud's hair. He began to ruffle the soft fluff that was Cloud's hair. "You aren't going to be alone Cloud. I said it before and I'll say it again, we are brothers now, and I am going to protect my little brother as best as I can."

"Thanks Zack, but I guess I must be pretty pathetic… a sobbing mess at six… I mean seven, no… I guess twenty-one. I keep forgetting about that."

"Hey, it's nothing to be ashamed of. People cry all the time, no matter the age. It's just natural," Zack replied.

Cloud nodded again. "Thanks again Zack… I honestly don't know what I would do without you."

Zack smiled, glad he had gotten through to Cloud. "Of course, you're welcome. And hey maybe we can ask them to bring in a bed to the room here so you can be near. So if something happens again, you can wake me and let me know, okay?"

Cloud finally was able to push himself up and sit back up. He nodded while smile. "Yeah, that sounds good. Seriously Zack, thank you. I know I just keep repeating it, but I mean it."

"No problem little bro," Zack said cheerfully as he ruffled Cloud's hair once more.

* * *

With everyone working hard at it, the arm only took about three days to complete, and it was finally ready to be attached to Zack. It ended up not being anything crazy or grand, but it was cool enough to satisfy him. It was a sleek silver color for the entirety of the arm. As soon as the doctors had connected it to his side, he could already sense the signals his brain was trying to send the arm.

He narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on it, and slowly the fingers began to twitch. "Whoa, that is pretty cool."

"Yeah, that is really cool," Cloud added, who was watching in amazement.

Tseng came into the room a moment later, giving a small smile when he saw the slight movement. "Of course you would be adjusting to this so easily."

"Hey, I gotta start sooner than later," Zack replied as he continued working on moving the fingers. He was listening to what he was told and was starting simple. As much as he wanted to start moving his arm in full he had to start with the fingers then move to the entire hand and so on.

"Indeed," Tseng replied. "I am sure you will get used to it in no time."

"So was there something you needed Tseng? Besides obviously coming to visit little old me?" Zack chuckled as he continued to work on moving his fingers.

"Yes, I came to check on your progress, but also to tell you that you have a visitor."

Zack tilted his head to the side. "Huh? A visitor? I already saw Cissnei a few days ago… who could come here to see me? I thought others weren't allowed in here besides you guys?"

Tseng smiled and stepped aside, letting someone else step into the room. One first glance Zack wasn't sure who he was looking at. The man looked to be around Zack's age and had light skin. His hair was a dirty blond color and was cut short, but it was long enough to be slightly windswept in various directions. Aside from that, Zack could also tell that the man had brown eyes and maybe just a few freckles over his face.

From a quick glance, he noticed the man was clad in a decent amount of black clothing. He sported a pair of black pants that looked like slacks, with a pair of light brown shoes at the bottom. Above that, he was wearing a tight, black jacket that had a few pockets on either side. Under that was a burgundy-colored turtleneck, which resembled the ones that Shinra troops would wear as well; furthermore, that would mean that the man could possibly be a 2nd class SOLDIER. Either that, or he just liked the color.

Zack stared long and hard, searching through all of his interactions with everyone he met before, but nothing was coming to him. He tilted his head again, feeling a bit puzzled that he couldn't figure it out. "I don't get it… who's this guy?"

The man smiled before he started to laugh. "I know you've been gone for a few years, but don't tell me I'm _that_ forgetful. Or maybe you still have the shortest attention span I've ever known."

That was all it took for Zack to put the pieces together. There was no way he could forget that voice, or that attitude.

With a large smile, he jumped off the bed, thankful now that he no longer was hooked up to IVs and other wires. He ran right up to the man and threw his arms around him. "Kunsel!"

Zack didn't even realize that he had caused his new arm to fully complete the hug. He didn't care at that moment that he was supposed to be going slow with it. He just wanted to hug his friend as best as he could.

Kunsel laughed again before he gave a hug in return. "It's good to finally see you again Zack. Oh Gaia, you don't know how glad I am to see you again. I am glad you made it."

"Same. Sorry I never answered your emails… I didn't want you to get dragged into my mess," Zack whispered.

"Well, it's too late for that, I already did," Kunsel said before he finally let go of Zack.

Zack let go as well, letting hi new arm fall down to side. He stared with wide eyes at Kunsel, wondering if he had heard him correctly. "What? But how did-"

Kunsel stopped Zack by holding up a hand. "Come on, Zack. You know me. I always have my ways about getting the information I want when I want it. I knew something was up and that you were clearly alive when Shinra said you weren't. So I did what I do best and dug in deep for the information. I already knew Shinra was up to no good for a long time, and now I have done enough that it wasn't safe for me to be there anymore."

"Kunsel…" Zack said, his expression faltering slightly. "What happened? Like what did you do?"

"First, stop worrying so much, Zack. I knew what I was getting myself into, and I am fine with it. I wanted to make sure that you would be okay and that you could make it alive."

"But that's so risky! You could have gotten into much deeper trouble… or you could have gotten hurt. You really shouldn't have done so much for me…"

"Zack, I know you think the weight of the world is on your shoulders, but having friends help out is no problem."

"I know, but like… I just want to know what you did that got you into trouble. How much were you risking?" Zack asked softly.

"First off, I haven't gotten into any trouble. I left before I could. Second, I did as much searching into trying to find you and made some progress. I knew you had close ties with the Turks, so I was able to get in touch and gave them all that I knew about Shinra and what was going on with you."

Zack looked over to Tseng as if for verification, to which the man nodded his head. "That's correct. The information that we did not already have at least."

"Yeah, and after I did that, I dug around everywhere trying to find anything else. Didn't care about security or anything else. Just wanted you to not die," Kunsel continued.

After a brief pause, he continued. "But I knew that I would be found out one way or another. And if Shinra treated you, their last big time 1st class SOLDIER, the way they did, I could only imagine how expendable any of the rest of us were. So after I did all I could, I left."

"But… you didn't-"

"Just stop Zack. It doesn't matter. You're here, I'm here, and for now we're safe. I'm happy to see you alive buddy."

Zack took a deep breath after being interrupted by Kunsel. If there was one thing he learned in all the years he had known the man, he knew that he was just as stubborn as he was. He relaxed slightly and then spoke back up. "All right then. I won't complain. But thanks, man. You're a lifesaver. Literally."

Kunsel almost started to laugh. "Wow, that's a bad joke. Even for you."

"I had to try something," Zack laughed.

"So, your friend Cloud was the other one that you escaped with?" Kunsel asked, looking behind Zack.

Zack turned around to see Cloud quietly sitting there, not really knowing what to do. Zack felt a bit bad that he almost forgot that he was even there. Seeing Kunsel again was something that was a total surprise for Zack, and it really had caught him off guard.

Either way he nodded back to Kunsel. "Yeah, we were the only two…" Zack trailed off as he let the memories flicker in his mind. It was only for a moment, and then he shook then away. "No matter what though, we made it together."

Kunsel waved to Cloud and gave him a friendly smile. "It's nice to finally meet you, Cloud. I remember Zack telling me about you."

"Huh? Really? Zack… talked about me before?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, he was excited to, as I quote 'have a friend who is a backwater boy like me'. I was worried that I would be in competition for best friend, but I suppose backwater friends are a whole other level."

Cloud stared for a moment, not knowing how to respond at first until he felt himself slowly start to laugh. "Yeah, I guess you can say that," he muttered out as he continued to chuckle. It was the first time he had been able to laugh properly in a while, but it felt good.

"Hey! I can have more than one best friend!" Zack shouted. "Doesn't matter if they are backwater or not. I care about each and every one of my friends."

Zack smiled greatly as he spoke those words. They couldn't be more true and he truly did feel great about it. He hadn't felt this happy in months now, so the warmth he was feeling in his chest was truly something to cherish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I hope you guys all enjoyed that chapter! Kunsel is alive and still here to help out!  
Also as you see now my co-author finally has a Ao3 account, so now he can post chapters as well!  
See you all next time!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh yeah another chapter done! Let's jump right into it!

"So Kunsel," Zack started as he went back to sitting down on the bed. "How come I've never seen you without your helmet? Like did you ever once take it off during my years at Shinra? Cause I don't even remember you taking it off in the locker rooms… or something. Don't tell me you showered with that thing on."

Kunsel shrugged before laughing. "I was never really one to show my face. Not that 2nd and 3rd were supposed to anyways. Except for you when you got into 2nd class. You got to break that rule probably because you were under Angeal's tutelage."

"And those helmets also sucked!" Zack exclaimed. "You really think I enjoyed trying to get all my hair shoved into that helmet? It was so annoying during my time as a 3rd, I was glad that Angeal said I didn't have to wear it once he started to teach me."

"Yet Cloud was able to wear his helmet perfectly fine," Kunsel said as he looked over to the blond. "Right?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah… somehow I was able to do it."

"Well…" Zack started. He carefully concentrated to fold his new arm so he could have his arms crossed in a more thoughtful position. "Infantry helmets are different than SOLDIER. Maybe that's why you could fit all of that chocobo fluff in the helmet. Must have been more spacious."

"Hey!" Cloud shouted, giving a slight pout. "Your hair is also chocobo like, remember?"

"Yeah, but…" Zack trailed off as he went back to looking at Kunsel. "Back to what I was asking before. Yeah I get that 2nd and 3rds weren't really supposed to show their face, but we were friends and I never saw your face before. It just seems… weird ya know?"

Kunsel shifted slightly. "Well… there was… is an actual reason."

Zack raised an eyebrow, feeling a little perplexed. "Really? Come on Kunsel, you can tell us. If it is just how you look, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure if you showed your face more, the ladies would be all over you."

"Thanks Zack," Kunsel said nodding. "But… I might as well just show you. You're right though. You're my friend… you should know."

Kunsel walked over to the mirror that was on the other side of the room. He pulled out a small case from his pocket and a small bottle from another and placed them both on the table. He reached towards his left eye and did almost looked like he was grabbing or pinching something. A moment later he had something between his fingers that he put into the palm of his hand. With his free hand he used the bottle to spray a bit of liquid into it. Then after that he poured some of it into the open container. He then placed whatever it was in his palm into the container, put a bit more liquid into it and then closed it up.

With a deep breath he turned around and walked back closer to Zack and Cloud, and right away both boys saw something different about him. His left eye was no longer brown, but blue. It glowed with the usual glow like how all SOLIDERs eyes did if they were blue or in that range of color.

"You have two different colored eyes," Zack commented.

"Yeah…" Kunsel whispered quietly. "Now you can see why I wanted to always keep my helmet on. It wasn't until recently I was able to get my hands on colored contacts to cover it up."

"But what's wrong with that?" Cloud asked. "I mean, trying to cover it up."

"Cause," Kunsel answered. "With the mako making the left eye glow, it looked strange in contrast to my right eye. I would always get a lot of looks as a kid for having two different colored eyes. I didn't want it to be more obvious and have even more people staring and judging."

"Hey… Kunsel there is nothing wrong with your eyes. I think they're pretty cool!" Zack said cheerful.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed. "I've never seen anyone with two different eye colors. So I agree it's cool."

"Plus that makes you ultra unique! No one else has eyes like that so all those people are wrong for thinking your weird," Zack said adding on.

Kunsel stared, trying to think over Zack's words no doubt. Slow enough a smile formed over his face and he let out a small sigh. "Thanks Zack."

"You're always welcome!" Zack beamed. He glanced to his new arm and looked at it thoughtfully. A few moments later he was sticking out the mechanical arm, and slowly bringing in his fingers to create a thumbs up.

"You know, aside from my eyes, I think that is the more surprising thing to see," Kunsel stated. "How hard is it to control it?"

"Eh… I don't really know how to explain it. It's weird… like I know it is not real… well not you know… it's metal. That's what I mean. Just a bunch of wires and stuff instead of blood vessels and other human things. But… my mind is acting like it is real, giving it that feel when I try to do things with it."

"It's all right, you don't have to explain it. I think I get what you're saying. It's just kinda… surreal ya know?" Kunsel asked, getting only silence in return as they all three became entrenched in thought.

"So Kunsel," Zack said, finally speaking up once more. "What are your plans? You know… now that you aren't with Shinra anymore?"

"Mainly I want to lay low and get as far away as I can from Shira and Midgar. If I stay here in the city they'll find me sooner or later."

"You don't have to leave though," Zack interrupted. He frowned slightly, still saddened to see one of his friends having to make such a tough choice. "You could stick with us. Cloud and I are going to become mercenaries. Or something like that."

"Mercenaries? Wow, you would really want to do something like that?" Kunsel asked curiously.

"Yeah, why not? Besides, being a SOLDIER was something I'm good at. If Shinra is going to do to others like they've done to us, then I want to be there to stop them," Zack asserted himself firmly, a look of seriousness crossing his face.

Kunsel stared hard at Zack, and then turned his attention towards Cloud. "What about you then?"

"I… I feel the same way. Just after everything that happened. Gotta do something. And, I'm sticking with Zack too," Cloud answered.

"Hmmm…" Kunsel hummed thoughtfully.

"So what do you say, Kun?" Zack said. "Wanna join up with us and form our own little future mercenary group?"

Kunsel let out a bit of a laugh. "I haven't been called that in quite some time. I guess in a way I've missed that."

"I've missed you too. You were the only SOLDIER that I knew I could really trust, especially after everything… fell apart."

"But I have to say," Kunsel started. "I'm afraid I won't be joining you on that."

"But why?" Cloud asked with a shocked look on his face.

"Cloud," Zack began. "It's fine. Kunsel has his reasons and I trust him."

He then turned back to Kunsel. "I understand. I don't blame you for wanting to stay out of it. Information gathering was always your specialty anyways. You always saved my butt before."

"And if I had 10 gil for every time I had to help you, I'd be-" Kunsel started to say, but Zack was quick to cut him off.

"Hey! We don't need to get into stuff like that!" Zack tried to sound angry, but it was easily heard in his tone that he was actually trying not to laugh.

"I'm surprised that Zack would ask for help like that," Cloud began, trying to make some contribution to the conversation.

"Oh you wouldn't believe some of the stuff that he needed help with," Kunsel laughed. "He was… shall we say, like a lost puppy?"

Cloud couldn't help but manage a laugh out of that. He tried to hold it in, but when he saw Zack's flustered face, he couldn't do it. He and Kunsek chuckled heartily as Zack looked back and forth between them, giving them each a stare.

"Yeah yeah, laugh it up," he added in a softly annoyed voice.

He wanted to say something else, but he waited patiently until the boisterous air in the room lifted. Finally he spoke up again.

"Kunsel. If you're not joining us that's fine as I said. But I wanted to get to other matters," he stopped briefly, making sure he had their attention. "What information do you have regarding Shinra still and their activities? I'll take anything you can give."

"You're in luck that I always kept such good records," Kunsel began. "Not to mention, I can remember just about everything about what Shinra would tell me. It was my job after all. The question is, where to begin," he trailed off as he rubbed his chin.

* * *

Kunsel had left shortly after divulging some pressing information to Zack and Cloud. Zack had wanted to ask Kunsel much more, but there had not been enough time to be able to do it all. Luckily, however, Kunsel was set up with a new mobile device not attached to Shinra and also on a secure line. He gave Zack the information needed to be able to contact him before leaving, which the ex-SOLDIER was thankful for. But all of the information had given Zack a lot to think about now.

The next several days were spent with Zack working on getting his arm to be properly adjusted. While Zack still didn't know the exact location of where Tseng was hiding him, the place was well made. They had rooms, while small, for all the different things that Zack could do to test out his arm. He did his best to workout as much as possible, and just as Tseng had expected, Zack was progressing faster than most would. It was of course because Zack was… well himself. He had that determination in him that made things possible to improve quicker.

Zack was already able to move it around and grab various lighter items. Though as much as Zack wanted to, Tseng told him to hold off on trying to pick up anything too heavy like his sword. Even though the arm was mechanical they didn't want him to over use it right away, it still had to adjust a bit. Zack wasn't too sure or really fully understanding of the whole technical aspect of it, but he did his best to listen.

"Woo, that was quite the good workout!" Zack exclaimed after coming out of a training room with Cloud. The two had been practicing their hand-to-hand combat to help better get Zack used to his arm.

Before Cloud could respond, they rounded the corner to be met by a familiar face.

"Tseng? What are you doing back here?" Zack inquired.

"I had a break, so I figured that I would come see to you. There was also something that I had forgotten to mention to you about your new arm."

"There's more to this thing?" Zack asked as he held it up, giving it a quick inspection. He started to smile childishly. "You going to tell me it does some cool transformation? Like in the cartoons I watched as a kid?"

Tseng smiled lightly before shaking his head. "No I'm afraid not. Sorry if that crushed your childhood dreams. But I suppose you could say that this is something that is just as good. Follow me."

Zack nodded before glancing to Cloud, who was standing in the doorway of the training room. "Can Cloud come along or is this just a private thing for me?"

"He can come along," Tseng said without looking back. "I am sure the both of you will find this quite exciting."

The two boys followed after Tseng and then they entered into one of the rooms. There were a few people in lab coats there, reading over various different paperwork. When the three of them entered the group looked up and went to greet Tseng and then Zack and Cloud.

"So now that we are here, now can you finally tell me what this is about?" Zack asked.

"Yes, but it is easier if one of these men explained it, they are the ones who designed the arm anyways," Tseng answered before taking a few steps back.

"The arm you have is quite new and has a vast range of elements to it. As you have already seen within the past few days, it is waterproof and extremely durable for someone who is a SOLIDER… or in your case former SOLDIER."

"I would hope it would be durable," Zack laughed. "Good to know at least."

"Anyways, look on the other side of the wrist and there's a small panel. Slide it open and there is a little button inside of it. If you press it, it will open a compartment."

Zack did as he was told, and upon doing so saw the small compartment that opened up. When he looked closer, he saw two round-shaped sockets were now revealed. Before the scientist could speak up, Zack knew exactly what it was.

"Oh nice, so this arm can hold materia! This could really change things for sure," Zack stated, elation evident in your voice.

"Yes indeed," Tseng spoke up again. "You're one of the most proficient with materia than anyone else I'm aware of. So I thought it would make sense to play to your strengths. Plus your gauntlet that you did use was too busted beyond repair, so this was an alternative."

Zack grinned heavily. "Oh yeah! This will be great! Now it will always be right here when I need it. Thanks for this."

Tseng nodded. "I assume you want to try it now that you know it's there."

"Of course. I'll have this thing mastered in no time," Zack boasted with confidence.

* * *

Zack was breathing in slowly, trying his best to clear out his mind. He knew that he needed all the concentration that he could get. He could feel the magic generating in him arm. It may have just been in the compartment, but it also felt like he could feel it reaching out through his entire body. It was an entirely different sensation then he had ever felt before when using materia.

He continued his concentration and soon he could feel something warm at his fingertips. That was another surprising element of the arm, it had sensors built into the hand. He was able to feel the sensation of anything just like if his real arm was still there. Things felt closer to normal because of that.

A few more seconds passed, and then in a brilliant blaze, fire shot from the end of his finger directly at the practice dummy across the room. Upon impact, the mannequin erupted into flames. Then, Zack switched to the other element he had equipped at the moment and focused once again. Soon after, a flash of thunder impacted the already burning object, causing it to nearly explode on impact from the force.

"Wow, this feels much more natural than before, "Zack started as he examined his arm in awe. "I feel like I can do so much more, haha!"

"That was amazing!" Cloud said, his eyes wide with amazement. "I gotta agree you made it look so natural. Like you just had the magic yourself… like you could bend the element itself or something."

"Ha," Zack gave a laugh. "Sure looks like it." He paused before smiling greatly. "Just like in that show I used to watch!"

"I know what show you're talking about! I loved to watch it when I was younger. I use to try and imagine doing those element bending moves a lot. Then I got materia and I learned how different it was."

"Man," Zack said as he sat down on the ground. "Those days were easier, weren't they?"

"What do you mean?"

"When we could just sit at home and watch cartoons. We just had it easy back then. Leaving all the big fights and stuff to Shinra, while all of us were eagerly waiting to be old enough to join," Zack answered.

"Yeah, things really did seem to be easier then," Cloud said with a long sigh.

"Those were the good times," Zack exhaled deeply as he stopped. "But then we each had our dreams of course. At least I know I had mine. But… just didn't expect those dreams to come to _this_…" he trailed off suddenly, getting lost in thought.

A few seconds passed by as he thought to himself. "I mean, things are okay so far. The arm is great too… it's just…"

He reflected on all of the times from the past, from his aspirations to be SOLDIER to his experiences one he was there. It all seemed like a blur when he thought about it. Then of course there was the most recent issue, one that Cloud didn't even remember. While he tried to not think about it, the arm was a constant reminder. A thorn in Zack's side that he could never forget.

While these few days have been rather peaceful, he knew the complacent mood wouldn't last. Thoughts of the future ran a marathon inside of his already clogged head.

"Zack… Zack…"

It was almost as if he could hear someone calling him. Maybe it was his own consciousness trying to get a point across. Or some old memory he was calling up? He wasn't sure but it had deterred him from his current thoughts. The sound kept getting louder with each passing second.

"Zack… Zack!"

Finally the last one was loud enough and he snapped his head back up. He looked around sharply in either direction and quickly found the source of the noise.

"Oh, it's you, Cloud."

"You all right Zack? You looked like you spaced out," Cloud replied with a slight concern in his voice.

Zack started to speak but stopped himself. "_No need to worry him or let him know what it is."_ Once he gathered himself, he tried again.

"It's nothing. Just thinking of what we're gonna do after this. We gotta be doing some good training if we still wanna be mercenaries right?" Zack replied, a lighthearted attitude finally emanating from him again. He himself knew that it was a facade in the moment, but as long as Cloud believed him, then it would be all right.

"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Good! Now where were we… oh yeah! Here, I'll practice with some other materia. Gimme just a sec," he replied.

Zack moved to change out the materia he currently had with some others. Once he had done that, he put everything back in order and reset the room. "All right, now watch and learn!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku: Another chapter filled with emotions and other things and Zack's arm just gets cooler and cooler lol.
> 
> Tmart: We hope that you all are liking what we are doing so far. It's a bit of a tangent, but we'll get back to the main story soon enough. Thanks for all the feedback that you are giving us. We'll see you in the next one!


	23. Chapter 23

Zack tossed back and forth in the bed. He didn't wake, but his mind was already deep in a process. It made him restless, unable to lay still and sleep peacefully. Despite his restlessness, it wasn't loud enough to wake up Cloud, who was in the bed on the other side of the room. Cloud, on the other hand was sleeping peacefully, much more so than he had in the past months.

But Zack… he continued to be restless.

His fingers gripped the bed sheets and he pulled them close. So much plagued his mind and there was nothing he could do to escape it. He fears and worried finally had caught up and decided to not stay locked away like he had wanted them to. Instead the fears thought it would be fun to torment his mind instead while in sleep.

* * *

The ground was pretty much soaked in blood. The rain had not come yet to wash it away causing it to taint nearly every inch around Zack. He didn't mind the sight, but it was the smell that was driving him crazy. Blood mixed with splattered guts and other gory things made the field all the more serious. He had seen plenty of gore before. He had been in plenty of fights against monsters and unfortunately some humans as well, but the stench always had bothered him.

Despite not wanting more of it, he slashed at another infantryman that came charging at him. The infantryman let out half of a scream before the body crashed to the ground. Zack sighed before lowering his sword to his side.

"_No more… that's it. I'm done…"_ Zack breathed in and out, wishing that he had a cure or a potion to heal his own wounds.

Suddenly he could hear a sound from the distance. He looked up and with his enhanced SOLDIER vision he could see what was coming. He frowned once his eyes landed on what exactly was making the sound.

It was more infantrymen. More of them were marching forward, swords and guns in hand. There must have been at least another hundred more from what Zack could see. They all kept moving, getting closer and closer to him.

Zack cursed heavily. He raised his sword, but he didn't feel like charging in at the oncoming enemies. There was no rush or feeling of thrill with knowing he had to fight more. He had done so much of it that it now felt dulled to him. So instead he stood there, just waiting and watching carefully. "Can't this just be over? I'm sick of fighting…"

"Are you really giving up that easily?"

Zack froze up upon hearing that voice. "A-Angeal?"

Zack turned around, trying to locate where the voice had come from. When he made a full circle looking around, he saw that there were no more infantrymen out ahead of him. There weren't any men like that, but there was one lone man standing several feet away from him.

Zack smiled. "Angeal!"

He started to run to the man without a second thought. He looked perfectly fine and there was no sign of degradation on him. Just as he was about to get closer, Angeal held up a sword… the buster sword. _Angeal's_ buster sword that he gave to Zack. That very sword… and it was now pointed at Zack's chest.

Zack staggered back and looked down at his own hands. He swore that he had been holding the sword only a few seconds ago. How did Angeal get a hold of it?

"Angeal? What… What are you doing?" Zack asked carefully.

"You don't need to come any closer Zack," Angeal said, his voice cold and distant. "You've already done enough."

"But… but I haven't done anything!" Zack shouted. "What are you thinking, Angeal?"

"I asked you to carry my honors and dreams. What happened to that?" Angeal asked, ignoring Zack's question.

Zack felt completely caught off guard by the question. It made him start to feel a little uneasy. "I… I am though. I'm doing what you asked."

"Are you really?" Angeal scoffed.

Zack's gut started to turn, making him feel even more unpleasant. "_Why is he acting like this? Angeal would never say that. He just wouldn't…"_

"Angeal, I am carrying out your dreams. I'm doing whatever I can to be your legacy."

"And what have you done to prove it? Feels like your failed more than you have accomplished."

The words struck deep, deeper than Zack would have wanted. Even though he kept trying to tell himself that Angeal would never say those things, it still hurt him. To see his mentor staring down at him with such disapproval, it hurt gravely.

Zack could feel a lump build up in his throat. His words wanted to get stuck there while he tried his best to hold back his emotions. "I… I haven't failed."

"You couldn't save me."

"You wouldn't let me!" Zack snapped.

"But you wanted to."

"Yes," Zack huffed. He clenched his fists, glaring at Angeal. He wanted to get through to him. He wanted Angeal to understand. He never could understand why Angeal refused to see his side of it. But the memory of that day was flashing back into his mind, the memory that was burned into him, and he knew he would never forget. "I tried… I wanted to save you. But you forced me… forced me to fight you. F-Forced me to… kill you."

"And you still went through with it. Back then you were able to pull yourself together and do what you were told. To do what a SOLDIER would do. But now I begin to wonder if you are all that capable, or if you are just letting your emotions control you."

"What?" Zack asked, not caring how badly his voice cracked. He couldn't even figure out what to say to it. It felt so out of place, yet it still heavily stung. "Angeal… please."

Angeal shifted his position, still with the sword pointed out at Zack. "If you claim that you are carrying my legacy. Prove it."

Zack looked up at Angeal again and then felt a weight in his hands. He looked down to see the old sword he used to use before… before…

Zack shook his head before he could finish his thoughts. He lowered his head further, now refusing to look at Angeal. "I won't."

"You won't?" Angeal asked.

"I won't fight you… not again. I can't."

"Then you are weak."

The sword fell from Zack's fingers. He hadn't even been trying to keep a tight hold on it. It clanked to the ground and soon he dropped to his knees shortly after. Tears now fell down his face, while he kept staring long and hard at the ground.

"I'm n-not…" Zack clenched the ground, crumpling up the dirt in his hands. "I'm not weak…"

"If you cannot manage a fight against me anymore then you are weak," Angeal said, his voice and words stabbing deep into Zack's mind.

"No! I'm not weak! I just can't… I am still strong. I looked up to you Angeal… I did whatever you taught me, and I trained as hard as I could even after you… Oh Gaia… please…" Zack choked out his words, each one stinging his throat. "I've been carrying on for you."

"Have you now?" Angeal said, his voice still improving. "Then what happened to you? Take a look at yourself and see what you have become. You've wasted these past years, no real attempts to be anything. Just scrounging around to survive without honor. You are no legacy of mine."

Zack choked on another sob. He wanted to tell Angeal it wasn't his fault. He wasn't at fault for what happened to him. It wasn't his fault, not at all. He kept thinking it over and over how he was going to say it to Angeal, how he would tell him and prove to him he is wrong. But then he heard footsteps. He expected them to get closer, instead they started to grow faint. Zack wiped the tears from his eyes and looked up to see Angeal walking away.

"Angeal! Wait!" Zack shouted, but Angeal kept walking away.

Zack staggered to his feet and tried to run after his mentor, but his legs felt weak and unstable. He tumbled to the ground seconds later. He groaned when he crumpled to the ground, the dirt and dust making a mess around him.

Zack lifted his head again to see Angeal even farther away. "Angeal come back! I'll be better at this! I can be your legacy! I'll keep trying! I'm not a failure!"

* * *

"Angeal!" Zack shouted before shooting up into a sitting position.

He placed a hand against his chest, he could feel it pounding against him. He tried to breath and right away he tensed up. He looked over at Cloud sleeping in his bed. "_Please don't wake up… please don't let that wake him up."_

Thankfully Cloud didn't wake up. He continued to sleep there quietly and peacefully. Zack managed to lay back in bed, though his heart and mind were still actively racing with one another.

Without much control of his actions he let out a quiet sob. He placed a hand over his mouth, trying his best to suppress the sound. He still did not want to wake up Cloud. Having Cloud wake up and see him like this was the last thing he wanted. He already had left Cloud see him weak once before, he wasn't ready for it to happen again.

"Angeal…" Zack whispered between his fingers. "You're not mad at me are you?" He tilted his head up to the ceiling, as if he would get his answers somehow. "I haven't actually failed you… have I? I'm still worth it… right?"

Zack shuddered and pulled the covers closer. His hands were trembling, even his new mechanical arm. His brain just was giving it the natural reaction, and it was doing just as a normal hand would when he felt like this.

This feeling… this feeling Zack had in his gut that twisted and squeezed him from the inside. It felt like it would squeeze at him one moment then try to tear him apart the next. It was almost to the point where he would feel sick. He tried to breath, tried to keep himself from losing to those emotions. Those stupid emotions that plagued him with his awful feeling.

The words Angeal said still lingered in Zack's mind. He knew it was just a dream at this point, but he still doubted if it was just that. It could have been a dream, but who was to say that Angeal wasn't actually there. Couldn't it be possible that Angeal influenced his dream or somehow made his spirit connect? Zack never knew too much about stuff like that, but he didn't rule out the option.

Still the words lingered with each passing minute. The longer he thought about it, the more concerned he became over it. "I couldn't beat or even save Sephiroth before… I couldn't stop him from attacking Nibelheim… Hojo got a hold of me and held me and Cloud captive for four years. Couldn't save Genesis or the Director. Is… Is that what makes me a failure? Is that what Angeal meant?"

A few straggling tears finally left his eyes. "No. He's wrong. I'm not worthless… and I am not a failure. I can be strong, I can be what you want. I haven't lost my honor or your honor. I just… I know I can still do it. Don't give up on me Angeal. Just keep watching and I'll prove it. I promise…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter than what we normally do, but even if it is short, we felt the impact was still strong. Poor Zack ha a lot of pent of feelings doesn't he? We hoped you enjoyed the insight for him!


	24. Chapter 24

The next day dawned as a solemn one, at least for Zack. After the events of the night, he had no idea what to think. He spent the next couple of days contemplating his choices, trying to go about each day on autopilot while doing the things he would normally do. The feeling was akin to what he felt when Angeal had first died. It wasn't as bad, but it was bad enough.

Cloud had apparently noticed his distance as well, as the former tried to talk to his friend about what was going on. Zack, however, shrugged it off, saying things were okay. But Cloud knew better. Zack smiled like he always did, trying to act as cheery as possible. But something just was not right, and it began to worry Cloud.

"Zack, I'm just… concerned," Cloud said with a slight hesitation on the last part.

"You don't have to be. I said it's all good buddy. Honest," Zack replied, his tone not very convincing.

He breathed in sharply and exhaled. "Look, I'm sorry if I've worried you Cloud. That is not what I want. You can relax. I just have some things on my mind is all," he trailed off as he looked to the side. The next second though, he quickly turned back. "But don't worry, I'll keep going!"

Cloud managed a slow, small smile. He liked it when Zack was upbeat. "O-Okay Zack."

The two of them soon went to bed, Zack thinking quite a bit to himself again. "_Darn, I even worried Cloud. That's not what I need to do. Come on Zack, you gotta get a hold of yourself."_ However, that was easier said than done. Once Zack did manage to fall asleep again, his dreams were laced with more fears and doubts. But one instance called to him more than the others did, and he cursed himself in his sleep for neglecting the very thing he had made the journey for.

By the next day Zack had finally had it. The first thing he did once he woke up was head straight to Tseng, all while the thoughts were fresh on his mind. "Tseng, you have to let me go. I can't stay here any longer."

"You still need to get used to the arm a bit more. I know that you're better now, but you have to know what is best for you."

"Best for me? Like you would know…" Zack trailed off, a sarcastic attitude in his tone.

"Since that happens to be my job, then yes, I do know. I already told you that I have been personally keeping an eye on her up until recently when we found you."

"It's not that!" Zack yelled. "I just… I miss her. Tseng… it's been nearly five years. She's the reason I made this journey. I have to."

"I know that she's important to you, but you have to think about yourself for once too."

"I am thinking about myself. I'm thinking about what would make me happy. And it's her," Zack trailed off.

He collected his thoughts for a moment before continuing. "I don't know if she hates me for being gone so long. There's been no more letters so it's hard to tell. But I can't just keep sitting here. I have to know. Please," Zack begged with the biggest puppy eyes he could manage in the moment.

Tseng nearly laughed at the face Zack was making. But he kept his composure. "At least your perseverance hasn't changed after all this time."

"So? Does that mean you'll let me go?"

"And what about Cloud? Are you suggesting that you just run off and leave him behind?"

Zack winced, internally scolding himself for not thinking about Cloud this entire time. "Of course not. He'll come to, that's all apart of my plan."

"And you think that you can help him with your current condition?"

"My current condition is not that bad. I can still fight. I haven't lost everything you know."

"I understand that but listen to me for a moment," Tseng stated, clasping Zack's shoulder. "We went through a lot of trouble to find you, try to save you. I'm glad we did. I don't want all those efforts going to waste now if you rush off too soon."

Zack thought about what Tseng had said. Deep down, he knew that Tseng was completely right. He didn't want to rush off too soon and put himself or Cloud in any danger. He knew Shinra would be looking for him too, but he didn't want to just keep staying there. There had to be something that he could do, some way that he could go…

"Seems that you do care Tseng. Not often I hear something like that," Zack remarked slyly.

"Hmph. Think of it what you will. But do you see my point?"

"I get it. I really do. I don't want to end up in a situation like that again…" Zack sighed, thinking of what happened a short time ago, even though it now seemed like ages since then.

He hung his head, knowing that Tseng was right. But he didn't like it. He wanted to do what he had his mind set on. He wanted to rebuttal, but he could think of nothing sufficient. He waited a little bit instead and soon enough Tseng spoke up again.

"You still have plenty you can do here until I think it is safe for you to head out. Don't you still have her letters to read?"

"Ah… yeah, you're right," Zack replied. He had thought about reading them several times since he first got here. There were nights where he held the case in his hands and stared down at the pile of letters inside of it. Sometimes he would even run his fingers along the case, almost tempted to open it. But he had never actually done it yet and it still remained closed, sitting on his dresser.

"Good, then if we are at an understanding, I suspect you should get back to training?"

"Yeah yeah," Zack said, sighing heavily. "I guess so, but I still want to see her… soon at least."

"Yes, but I do implore you to wait until you're sure you're fine. I doubt that I could stop you if you choose to leave, nor could anyone else here. But, that is your call," Tseng replied honestly.

"I just… can't you bring her here at least? Or get me a phone to call her? I'll take anything to talk to her right now," Zack said, nearly pleading just like before.

"You should know she doesn't use technology. Besides, something like that would be dangerous with Shinra keeping tabs on her," Tseng stated.

"So… even bringing her here? To this location?" Zack asked, not wanting to admit defeat yet.

"It's not something that we want to risk, I'm sure you would understand that," Tseng replied, still as calm as ever in his demeanor. "I know you care about her, but I know wouldn't want to put her in danger."

Zack opened his mouth, ready to reply, but this time he stopped. He held his breath, contemplating over the words Tseng had told him. He wanted to see her. He wanted to see her so badly. To see her and hear her voice again, being from it for so long was driving him crazy.

Letting out a long sigh, Zack curled his hands into fists. He held them there at his sides, not moving them at all. Eventually with another sigh, he loosen his fingers and lowered. "Fine… Whatever." He tried not to make his tone too harsh, but he had a feeling Tseng knew what he was feeling anyways. Before Tseng could even reply, Zack turned around brisky and left the room without another word.

Zack rushed back into his bedroom and headed over to the bed before flopping down on it. He sighed again, this time heavily into his pillow. "I just want to see her…" He whispered quietly into the pillow, just letting out his thoughts.

"Zack?"

Zack lifted his head up to see Cloud sitting over on his bed. Zack sighed to himself, forgetting that Cloud was usually into the room most hours of the day. With the biggest breath he had, he sat back up and smiled. "Yeah Cloud?"

"You doing okay?"

"Yeah, just fine," Zack grumbled.

"How did the talk with Tseng go?"

"Fine… just fine."

Cloud frowned slightly at Zack's short responses. "You sure? You don't sound too happy."

"I'm telling you…" Zack said before shifting to his dresser. He saw the case still sitting there. The case that contained the letters. Not bothering to finish his words he marched over there and picked up the case. Heading right back to the bed and tore off the seal on the case, not caring to be neat. He picked up the letters and began sorting through them until he found the oldest one of the bunch. "I'm perfectly fine."

* * *

Zack clutched the letter in his hand. His eyes read the lines over and over again. The words each time impacted him more and more.

_How are you?_

_I wish I knew where you were._

_It's already been four years now._

_This is the 98th letter that I've sent to you, but I don't even know where to send them anymore._

_I really hope that this final letter that I am writing gets to you._

_By the way, the flowers are selling very well._

_They make everyone so happy, thanks to you, Zack!_

_-Aerith_

Zack sighed while he read it once more. He probably had read it at least a hundred times by this point. It had hurt his heart the first time he had read it, but now after reading all of the other letters, it hurt even more than before.

"Don't worry Aerith," Zack whispered. "I got them. I finally got your letters…"

He decided to get up from his bed and walk around the room for a bit. Currently at the time he had nothing to do. Cloud was out of the room, presumably getting something to eat, so he had the whole room to himself. Thankfully he didn't have to go and do any training on his arm for the day, he wasn't sure if he could metnally get through it.

Zack felt a slight rumble in his stomach, but had no desire to even get any food. In fact, he hadn't done much eating nor drinking in the past two days. Besides some slight training, he barely would leave the room recently. He let out a heavy sigh and circled back around to his bed and plopped face first down on it.

"_What am I even doing? I know that I should do something, but I can't. This feeling… it's so draining… just like…"_ Zack trailed off slightly, trying not to think too hard on the event that caused him so much pain.

However, those thoughts were always there, but he tried to keep them shoved back. Now they were once again at the forefront, fighting for control with his thoughts after reading the letters. It all was so confusing to him lately. It left him completely frustrated.

"Angeal… what should I do?"

"Well, I'm not Angeal, but maybe you should stop having a pity party for one," a voice came from behind Zack.

"Wait, what? I never even heard the door. Who is-" he started to sit up and turn around, but stopped after he saw who it was. "Oh, it's just you Tseng," he said in a more autonomous voice than before.

"Zack, you need to stop this. It isn't healthy for you," Tseng said right away.

"I can do what I want, thank you very much," Zack replied in a sarcastic manner.

Tseng sighed before stepping further into the room. "I've let you go this long moping around, but it has to stop. You will only be dragging yourself down further if you let it carry on like this."

"Then let me leave already! I'm tired of being stuck in the place!" Zack shouted. "And I don't care if your reason is 'I need to be adjusted to the arm' cause I'm good enough with it. I don't want to do more training, I'm sick of it. I'm sick of all of this confinement. I just… I just want to see her again. I need to know if she still cares… or not."

"I know Zack. If you will let me speak for a moment-"

"You don't get it…" Zack interrupted. "How could you? You know me Tseng. Come on. I'm tired of being cooped up."

"Yes, I know," Tseng spoke louder with more firmness than before. "That is why I am here. After today, you will be going. You and Cloud."

"Wait… What?" Zack asked. He was so caught off guard by Tseng's statement that he wasn't even sure he had heard him right. "You said… I can leave?"

"I did. If you so choose, you can leave if you think you are ready. I only wanted to help you not rush off. But I see how hard you've been working when you haven't been cooped up in here," Tseng stated with assuredness.

"Of course I'm ready to leave! I've been ready for days now to just get out of here."

"Then you can start preparing. I already explained the situation to Cloud," Tseng replied.

"Thanks Tseng… really thank you," Zack said as he began to smile.

"Though there is just a few other things we need to go over. Shinra isn't entirely sure if you are dead or not, so they still may be looking for you. We have some more casual clothes for you and Cloud to wear though. Your SOLDIER uniforms would no doubt draw the wrong attention."

"Aw dang really? I like this outfit though. It's quite comfortable to me now…" Zack paused for a moment. "But I understand what you're saying though. I do wanna keep a few things from it at least. For later."

"You can hold onto it if you prefer. Who knows if it may come in handy down the line," Tseng replied, smiling ever so slightly.

"Right! Well, I'll be ready for tomorrow then. I can't wait! I'm dying to get to Midgar."

"You'll get there. But maybe save the "dying" for later on," Tseng replied snarkily.

Zack couldn't help but laugh. "Hey! I'm much stronger than you think. I should have died plenty of times, but I'm still here in the end! I'm pretty much unkillable!"

Tseng's small smile faded away. A much more serious expression told control instead. "And wasn't the 'great' Sephiroth suppose to be unkillable?"

Zack faltered slightly. "Ah... Um yeah, but you know I fought him and still lived. I fought all three top 1st class and survived. I'm just more durable than I expected."

To be honest, Zack knew that wasn't entirely true. There were plenty of times he thought that he wouldn't make it, and there were many instances that he recalled. But there was none such as hard as the fight he had recently had. He tried to not reflect on it too much, but it was all etched in his memory. He shook his head, trying to get the images that were replaying out of his mind. He knew Tseng was still there anyways, so he tried to bring himself back to reality.

Once he looked back up, he saw a curious look from Tseng, but the latter did not press on what he had seen. "Just continue doing what you can. I have business elsewhere."

Just as he was about the leave, Zack thought of something. "Hey. Before you go, there's something I want to ask. About Aerith."

"What is it?"

"You said you had been keeping tabs on her right? So Shinra wouldn't be able to get her. That means you've seen her. Has she… has she said anything about me at all when you saw her? What is she like now? I don't know why I didn't think to ask before, but it just never crossed my mind," Zack admitted, slightly embarrassed of his ignorance.

"She's doing just fine. But I think it is best if you go to see her yourself," Tseng replied.

"But I-" Zack stopped before he spoke too much. He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply, and proceeded to exhale in the same manner. He opened his eyes and looked back at Tseng. "That actually makes sense. I can hear it from her. That means I have something to look forward to!"

"Yes indeed. Now, you might not see me again for a while after this as I will be going back to HQ. That is, unless Shinra has me to tail any of you."

Zack flinched and nearly stumbled back. "Wait what?!"

"The Turks are still loyal to Shinra Zack. You should know this. We have to be, at least for now. I am the head, so I have to, even if I would rather not. So if something happens, don't hold it against us okay?"

"Yeah, that makes sense I guess. You don't want to just leave like I did apparently," Zack replied, relaxing himself while trailing off his words.

"Good. I'll see you around at some point," Tseng said nonchalantly as he walked out the door.

* * *

The next day was filled with a different feeling in the air. Positivity was radiating around Zack from the moment he had woken up. He was ready to complete what he set out to do over a year ago now, and see the person he's kept waiting.

Aerith.

Cloud knew this as well, and it was evident that Zack was acting slightly different as a result. But it was a good thing from what Cloud could tell. Zack was smiling more, and it didn't feel forced like all of the other times in past days. It felt genuine and honest, and that made Cloud all the more happy that Zack was doing better.

The boys had just changed into their casual clothes that Tseng had given them. With that they could blend it better with the crowd… for the most part. Zack still knew there were a couple of things that still would make them stand out.

One of them being their eyes. Mako always made the eyes glow brighter than what a normal person's would be. Zack already had those eyes because of what he went through in SOLDIER, the only reason Cloud had it was because of what Hojo put him through back at the mansion, which Zack figured had to be close enough.

The second was the buster sword. There was no way that Zack would ever leave it behind, especially when he still had to keep trying to carry Angeal's dreams and legacy. With that sword though, he knew they would get some looks. He only hoped it wasn't Shinra that would be giving the looks.

Zack breathed in deeply as he walked towards the exit of the building. Whatever this building was and where it ended up, it still outside of Midgar. There would be some walking until they reached the city before they could really get anywhere. Either way, Zack would get to where he wanted to go.

He and Cloud were led to an unmarked van once again, since Tseng wanted to keep the place under wraps. Just as they were getting there, one of the Turks leading them, whom Zack had never seen before, turned to them and directed them to get in. They did like when they had first come there and loaded up, and before long they were on their way out. Of course, that vehicle was lined with darkly tinted windows, so it was nearly impossible to see anything on the outside. Zack remembered how long it was when they first came to the place, so he and Cloud chose to relax until they were at Midgar.

"So Zack," Cloud asked, disrupting from Zack's short rest. "Where are we going to go first when we get to Midgar?"

Zack smiled as he thought over it. He had his plan since the start, but he had never told anyone else yet. Not in exact details. But now it was finally the time for that. "We're going to head to Sector 5."

"Sector 5? Isn't that in the slums?"

Zack nodded, still smiling happily. "Yeah, but there is a very special church in Sector 5 that I want to visit first."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There goes another chapter, finally progressing even further now! And next time we will get to see the long awaited reunion!


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TMart here posting (with Riku helping me learn this). Well we made it to chapter 25 guys! Thanks to all of you awesome readers who support us on this.

Through the doors of the small church that was situated in Sector 5, a small humming sound could be heard if you listened closely. The sunlight beared down through the small hole in the roof, the energy nurturing the large area of flowers that were blossoming through the ground. The flowers were being well kept as a woman moved around them, making sure they had plenty of water for the day.

The humming suddenly stopped as she ceased her movement. Her head snapped up quickly as a pair of bright, emerald eyes stared up at the hole in the roof, directly towards the sky.

"Such a pretty day today. The sun feels so warm. It's different from usual too."

She didn't know what this feeling was, but her heart told her there was change coming. Though in what manner was something she couldn't figure out. Her gaze continued to fixate on the hole in the roof, until she finally averted her eyes.

"The clouds. They're moving curiously. I wonder… No, I guess I shouldn't stare too long…" she trailed off as she closed her eyes and hung her head.

Normally the sun was something not to be stared at for too long. But that wasn't why she turned away. Thoughts of promises in the past began to resurface again. And the hole in the roof only served as a reminder to that. It wasn't a bad thing, at least in her eyes. However, sometimes it just didn't quite seem fair to linger too much.

After that she went back to tending to her flowers. She smiled to herself as she saw how full of life and vibrant they all were. It was a special rarity in all of Midgar, and she intended to keep it that way.

Slowly she began to hum a little melody to herself while going back to her daily routine. However the more she focused on the flowers, the more her mind wandered, which was not something that normally would happen. The reason she could even have the flowers was because of one person… one man.

She couldn't take it anymore and she her thoughts finally give way. They drifted away from all of this, from the church and all of the slums. They fell into a peaceful place that she hadn't thought about in quite some time. But with that peacefulness also came a heavy pain.

Carefully she took a flower and brought it over her heart while she meditated over her memories. A stray thought then entered her mind. "I wonder what I would do if he actually did walk back through that door…"

She trailed off with her words, but then corrected herself. She thought she had given up on that lofty dream. "Don't be silly Aerith. You know that won't happen."

A few seconds later, a loud knock rang through the church. Aerith's heart skipped a beat. She threw her eyes open and looked towards the doorway. Once her eyes focused well enough, they grew wide with surprise. The flower she was holding fell from her hands and found its way to the ground.

A tall man stood in the doorway of the church. She could never forget his puppy face, his slick black hair, or the bright blue eyes that were unlike any other. She may not have been able to recognize the clothes he was wearing, but any doubts were put to rest by the large sword he carried on his back.

A grin came to his face as he looked squarely at her.

"You miss me, Aerith?"

Even with hearing his voice, she couldn't believe it. She could feel her heard twisting and pounding against her chest the longer she words almost were stuck in her throat, but she managed to push them out, or at least one word that would mean everything. "Z-Zack?"

Was it really him? Surely she must be dreaming in that moment. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes thoroughly, thinking she must have been seeing visions. However, when she opened them and looked back, he was still standing there. Her heart began to beat even faster.

"It's… really is you."

Zack hesitated at first, realizing it had been so long since he had seen her. He was barely able to utter those words before to her, even though he was trying to keep his cool demeanor. As he tried to process what to say next, he walked a little bit farther into the church.

"Yeah it's me. I'm… sorry it's been so long.." he managed softly as his words tapered off, a lump in his throat forming.

Aerith felt pained at the moment. Confusion arose within her being, within her heart. She wanted to run forward and embrace the man she had fallen for so long ago. But at the same time, she was nervous, and wasn't sure how to deal with his sudden presence. Mixed emotions, surprise and elation, sadness and anger, it all welled inside of her.

However, she managed to walk forward a bit more as well, albeit slowly. "It's been, so long Zack. I waited for a while," she spoke, her voice shaky.

"Yeah, I know," Zack replied, feeling a tinge of guilt. He tried smiling as best as he could. "But hey, I made it back."

Aerith smiled too, though that pain still lingered. It was all still so much that she was trying to take in, and Zack was slowly approaching her. "I… um Zack…"

Once he was close to her, the two stared at each other intently. Aerith glanced away once, redness filling her cheeks. But she soon returned to Zack's unwavering gaze. She found herself lost in his deep, blue eyes, as if caught in a trance.

Likewise, Zack kept his eyes locked on her. He had longed to see her for so long, and he almost couldn't believe he was finally in front of her again.

"Aerith… I was afraid that I'd never see you again," he started.

But soon, she fell forward right into him, wrapping her arms around to his back. She couldn't hold herself back any longer. Though her emotions may be locked in a struggle, she knew how she felt in that moment.

Zack returned the gesture and embraced her. He had missed this, being around her. He had forgotten how she radiated a gentle warmness that always seemed to soothe anything.

The two stayed like that for a couple of minutes, neither saying another word as they just took the moment in as much as they could.

Though, once they separated, Aerith found herself unsure once again. She stepped back slightly, gripping her arm and turning her head. A small tear escaped her eye.

"I'm sorry, Zack. I… I just… I don't know…"

"Wait… what do you mean? What don't you know?" Zack asked, his voice teetering on the edge of sounding broken.

She allowed a long sigh to escape her lips. "I'm so happy to see you. But at the same time, I'm still upset and it's just… a lot to process."

"Aerith… I… I didn't mean to be gone. There was nothing I could do. I've been looking forward to seeing you again every single day," he said with a rushed tone.

"I had been as well. And still am. But still… you've been gone for so long. And I didn't know what to do," she uttered as she looked up, tears falling from her eyes now. "I wanted to believe you'd come back. I waited for a long time."

"I, I know you waited. I waited too. I just… I'm trying to find the words…" he trailed off.

However Aerith didn't miss a beat. "I sent letters until I just couldn't bear the thought of doing it anymore. I started to give up. Had you found someone else? Were you tired of me? I thought work may have called you away too. I didn't know if you had maybe… died…"

"I would never run away from you!" he exclaimed in shock. "You were right about work. And I can explain it all. If you let me."

"I want to Zack. I want to be here with you right now. But I also want to scream at you. I just don't know…" she said, small sniffling being heard.

"Oh man… please don't cry. I… I guess you hate me really don't you? For being gone. I hate myself for it. I've feared this for a while, but hoped it wouldn't happen," Zack said as he began to tear up as well. "You're the reason I went so far. I can't let it all be for nothing!"

"Zack, please don't think that-"

"Please don't reject me!" Zack shouted suddenly. He reached his hands up to grip onto his hair. "I can't… You kept me going this whole time… You were my motivation to keep going. The only one that meant _anything_ to me anymore! If you reject me and leave me… I… I don't know what I'll do…"

Zack gave up on trying to hold the strength in his legs. He dropped to the floor and let out a loud exashetered sigh. "Aerith please… I need you. I just wanted things to be okay… to have some happiness left to look forward to…"

Cloud peaked in around the door after hearing Zack yell. He couldn't help but be curious, especially after some of what he just heard. He wanted to go to Zack, but he still tried to be respectful, despite his own wishes. He sighed quietly to himself, still staying outside of the church. "Zack…"

Meanwhile, Aerith went over to Zack and knelt down next to him, making sure she was close so he could hear. "Zack, I'm not rejecting you. I just need time, I think. For us to get things back on track."

"And that means I won't be able to see you…"

"No, that's not it. I still want to see you. Just, let's not rush into things so soon."

He almost spoke again but he decided against it. He knew to not keep pressing the issue. Even though it hurt, the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Aerith any more. He breathed in deeply quite a few times as Aerith gave him the time. Then a small sigh escaped his lips.

"Look, I get it. I've been gone for a while. I know it must have worried you. I kinda had a feeling things might be… strange. But hey, a man can hope right?" Zack tried to joke, but it was obviously forced.

"Oh Zack…" Aerith spoke softly.

She wrapped her arms around him again. He let her hang on him, the two of them relishing each second. It felt as though he was melting there in the moment. It was a nice feeling, but Zack could tell there was some distance even with the gesture.

Nevertheless, it was something good for a change. At least based on what he had been going through. It wasn't easy, but he knew he would have to accept it. He did still wish that things could go right back to how they were, but he had to remember that five years had passed. Five long years and things were now different between the two of them.

"Let's do it your way then. Kinda a fresh start," Zack croaked out.

He began to stand up, extending his hand to her as he did. A small smile tried to form for him, causing her to return it. She placed her hand in his own. However, when she finally looked down, something wasn't quite right.

"Zack, your hand. Why does it… look so different?" she questioned aloud before running her hand over his metal exterior. "Zack… What happened?"

Zack turned his head away, trying not to see her worried expression over seeing his arm. "It's nothing… just a little trouble on my way here. That's all. No need to worry about it, I'm fine now and used to it."

Quickly Zack began to smile and pulled up Aerith to her feet. It was another forced one, but it was far less noticeable. He then stepped back and pulled up his sleeve, showing off his arm to her. "It looks pretty cool right?"

Aerith had a concerned look across her face. She couldn't help but worry about what had been going on. There must have been something to what he was trying to tell her before. Now upon seeing that, she wanted to hear his story for sure. Any doubts were now gone.

"I guess? But, that's not the point. Tell me. I'll listen," she said simply and honestly.

"All right! Oh! But first," Zack turned around and faced the entrance of the church. "Hey Cloud! You can come on it and say hi!"

Aerith watched as a young man walked into the church seconds later. He looked to be around the same age as Zack, though he was much smaller in size. He was far less strongly built like Zack, but there seemed to be some muscle to him from what Aerith could guess.

Zack turned around and gestured to Cloud one he was standing next to the two of them. "Aerith, this is my best friend Cloud! We've been through a lot together, before and after we decided to ditch Shinra."

"Ah yeah," Cloud nodded before looked to Aerith. "Hi."

"Oh, nice to meet you," she said kindly with a smile towards him. She then turned back to Zack. "So, you guys have been traveling together then?"

Zack scratched his head. "Well, that's where it gets kinda complicated. We were on a mission but… things happened."

Cloud seemed to shudder for a moment. "Yeah, but hoping things can be better. At least that's what Zack said."

Aerith hummed thoughtfully and then seemed to think of something. "I got it. Why don't we just go to my house and we can be a bit more comfortable there."

"I've never been inside before. It's been a while since I've seen the place too," Zack said aloud.

"Yeah, you never did have the time to come over…" Aerith trailed off.

An awkward silence poured over them for a moment. A moment later Zack cleared his throat. "Well all of that is about to change. I'm free to do whatever I want whenever I want. So let's go and relax and I'll tell you the story."

Aerith smiled. "All right, that sounds nice."

After that the three of them turned to head out of the church, heading out into the slums with Aerith leading the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Riku: We have finally gotten back to Midgar! And finally to the part all of you have been waiting for!
> 
> TMart: We can't just have it all happy-go-lucky sadly. As Zack said himself: the price of freedom is steep.


	26. Chapter 26

"Wow this place is just as great as I remember from the last time!"

"You really remember it that well?" Aerith asked as she led them around the side of a cliff..

"Of course I do, it was always so nice and quaint," Zack answered cheerfully.

Cloud was there as well, but he was looking around at everything. Once they rounded the corner, his eyes widened. For an area that was called the slums, he was amazed at how her house looked, and the land surrounding it.

The land surrounding the house was all a spectacular part of nature, with large cliffs overlooking the area in which her house was situated. The grass was such a vibrant green, with a variety of flowers lining the entire area in various spots. A majestic waterfall poured down the tallest cliff overlooking the house, and made its way into a stream that ran through the area and surrounded it. The water was such a clear blue as well, which is something that was rarely seen in any part of the bustling city. The stone pathway on which they entered curved around to the edge of where the waterfall was, leading to a small wooden bridge that connected to her house, and then another couple that connected the other small land areas.

Though there were plenty of signs of industrialization lining the cliffs and ground areas. Rusted metal components littered the waterways, though it did not seem to diminish the quality of the water. Some old catwalks lined the cliff opposite of the waterfall on the other side of the house. There were plenty of rustic pipes and metal frames adorning some of the other cliffside areas as well, with some of the pipes going down into the water.

When they reached closer to the house, the entire beauty of it soared into view. The outside was a fresh wooden layout, with a singular door and a couple of windows lining the front side. A wooden railing accompanied the front as well and the entirety of it, from side to side, was surrounded by a plethora of different flowers. It smelled nice.

Looking up, the roof of the house seemed like it was much taller than the rest of the house itself. The roof was also wooden, and quite large, making the shape of a hat like it was just sitting on the rest of the building. A couple of windows were situated in some triangular openings in the roof, with awnings stretching out above them. Even above that appeared to be another small structure that was on top of the roof, almost like a shed or a miniature house.

"This is so… pretty," Cloud said simply, realizing there was more to take in than he would have thought.

Aerith chuckled. "Well thank you," as she gave him a warm smile.

"I'm glad to see that you kept it all up, Aerith. It looks better than ever," Zack emphatically stated.

"Besides tending to the church and selling the flowers, this was all that I had to do during all this time. It gets challenging trying to purify the area sometimes though."

Cloud stopped. "Wait, so you were able to, make this all look the way it does?"

"Mhmm."

"She's special, Cloud. And her magic is second to none," Zack replied.

Aerith seemed to flinch and almost blush. "I see your flattery and boyish charm is ever the same," she led with a chuckle.

Zack grinned back. "Of course. I wouldn't really be me without it."

The trio walked a bit further and gazed upon the house. From the front, it was what looked to be a mid-size building for the most part. It wasn't much, seeming to be almost a normal wooden frame, but the design was unique.

Not much time went by before the door to the house opened and the boys were allowed inside. It opened right up into a small, seating area as they were surprised how it looked.

The room was dimly lit, with a rustic looking chandelier hanging from the roof which gave off an amber glow. Directly under the fixture was a small, round table with four chairs around it, on top of an intricately patterned hexagonal rug. To the side was an array of cabinets that were part of what looked to be a kitchen area. After looking around, the entirety of the inside of the house was made from a chestnut colored wood. It seemed small, but at the back was a staircase that led to an upper floor, where lowers were ornately placed around the banister, and anywhere else they could be found.

"It's just like how I would have imagined it" Zack said as he walked around. "I never got the chance to come inside before. Still such a nice homely place."

"It's the best we can do considering we're in the slums," Aerith replied. "Oh also, my mother isn't here yet it seems. She may be out in the back of the house and probably will be back soon."

"I don't think I ever got the chance to meet her before," Zack replied before going to take a seat at the kitchen table.

Aerith quietly sighed. "Well she may not be too excited to see you here, but I'll do my best to explain the situation."

Zack pushed forward a smile. "Thanks Aerith, that would be great. Wouldn't want to be kicked out right after coming in."

Before Aerith sat down, she thought of something. "Oh, I'll make us all some nice tea."

"You don't have to do that," Zack said instantly. "But I know you will anyways, so thanks," he finished lightheartedly.

She dashed away quickly over to the counter. They all made some small talk for the moment, the three of them enjoying the conversations. Before too much longer, she was finished with the beverages and brought them over and sat them down on the table in front of each of them.

"Thank you," Cloud said simply.

"Yeah, thanks Aerith," Zack replied as he then took a sip of the tea. "Wow this is really good!"

Aerith smiled gently at their comments. Her face then relaxed and she sipped her tea shortly. "So what was it that you wanted to tell me about, Zack?"

"Oh, right," he said despondently. "It was about the last four years. Or is it five? I, can't quite recall. I wanted to at least explain things. And, hopefully Cloud can remember some as well."

Cloud looked over at his friend, and then at Aerith who had turned her attention towards him. "Yeah, I do remember. Some things. Some are a bit fuzzy still."

"You don't have to push yourselves for me. I-"

"But I have to! I want you to know what happened. The reason I had not come back. I owe you this at least. So give me that," Zack suddenly nearly shouted without realizing.

"Sorry, I got caught up there," he continued.

Aerith stared with a worried look on her face. However, she knew that Zack was quite persistent. Once he had his mind set on something, there was no changing it. It was one of the things that she did like about him. Though, she wondered if those feelings still held true… or not. After turning some ideas in her head, she gave a slight nod.

"All right then. If you're sure."

* * *

"I would… I never expected you would have gone through so much since I last saw you," Aerith replied after hearing Zack's story. "I knew it had been years, I just never was able to consider the magnitude of it I suppose."

"Yeah… it's hard to think that a year has gone by since we left Nibelheim, but almost five years since we left _for_ it," Zack said before lowering his head. "Five years of our life just gone, but we look like we barely aged a day… I mean sure we may look a tad older since this past year, but still..."

"It's just a lot to think about…" Cloud added in. "I wish I could have been more help early on."

"Hey! Don't doubt yourself Cloud!" Zack said as he turned to face him. "You recovered that was what matters! I was so afraid you were going to be completely catanontic… when you were sleeping so much and often spaced out, I was afraid the mako was going to ruin you. Sometimes I heard stories… about mako poison… they never woke up. I was so afraid… afraid you were going to sleep and never…"

Zack swallowed heavily. He felt a chill run up his spine as all of his thoughts came rushing into his mind. He shuddered as he felt the hairs on his arm start to rise. Quickly he rubbed his arms and shook his head. "But that never happened. You woke up and became more active again, you've made a full recovery!"

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just… glad all that's behind us…" Cloud tiredly replied.

Aerith was humming softly to herself as she stared at Zack. He was usually always smiling, always cheerful. But she knew better than that. She could see through those cracks on his mask, and right just then the mask had slipped. She saw what was hidden behind there and it only made her feel more concerned than before.

Aerith arose from her seat and walked over to Zack. Without hesitation, she threw her arms around his neck and leaned her head against the back of his own. Zack found himself almost relaxing, the two of them not saying a word more at the time. Awkward silence filled the small room, making time seem ever slower than before.

Cloud fidgeted a bit more as he watched the two of them. He felt as though he might not be needed in that situation, even though he did want to be around Zack. Besides, he had started to cramp while sitting there anyways.

"Um, where is your bathroom?" he asked quickly?

"Oh, it's around the corner there and to the left," Aerith looked up and pointed.

"Okay, thanks." With that, Cloud made his way to the back of the house. In the next few seconds, there was a door that was heard shutting.

"I wonder if Cloud's all right?" Zack asked, not realizing he said that aloud.

"Maybe you should stop worrying so much huh?"

"Yeah, I know but-"

"You… don't have to hide things you know? I can see right through it."

Zack nearly broke into a smile, not only at her comment, but as he sat there more, her arms around his own body again was soothing. He felt his barriers slowly starting to fall as he relaxed his face, and then the rest of his body.

"Yeah… I know. You always were good at that. You know, this reminds me of before… all those years ago…" Zack trailed silently off as he hung his head lower, a sniffle escaping from him.

6 years ago now. It was shortly after Zack's mentor had died. Aerith remembered it quite well, and it seemed Zack did too. But that's not all. As she thought back, all the times they had spent together flashed in front of her. There were more instances that they spent time together, and where he would come to her for comfort. Even though it wasn't a lot, it was enough for them at the time.

And that's when it hit her.

"_How could I ever have thought he would have just left. I wanted to believe there was a reason, but… I had doubts. Why? I was so stupid. I started to doubt him this past year, and if he even cared. And all he ever thought of was returning to me… "_

"This feels… nice. I've missed this Aerith," Zack said simply through a nearly quivering voice, revealing his weakened state. But in front of her, he didn't care.

Those words hit harder than she thought they should have as it pulled her from her thoughts. Happiness radiated inside of her heart, but it was slowly being encompassed by another feeling. Guilt.

A tear started to trickle down her cheek, and when it reached the end, it fell onto the nape of Zack's neck. Startled by the feeling, he raised his head slightly.

"Aerith… what's the matter?"

"Nothing," Aertih replied in a soft tone. "Only was thinking about some things. The past, and now."

"What does that mean?"

"I'm… I'm not sure entirely. Trying to figure that out myself. Just a lot of feelings going through me."

"Well, you just told me not to hide things, so come on. Be honest with me."

Aerith sighed slightly and opened her eyes. "It's just that I-"

The backdoor to the house was heard swinging open. Moments later her mother came walking down the hall. As soon as she stepped into the room, she froze up. Her eyes were locked coldy at the sight she saw before her.

"Aerith! What is this? What is going on and what is _he_ doing back here?"

Right away Aerith removed herself from holding onto Zack and ran over to her mother. "Please mother, let me explain first before you make ill judgement."

"What ill judgement could I possibly make about him? Or did you forget already what he put you through? I won't see him hurting you like that ever again."

"It wasn't his fault though! Please try to listen to me mother," Aertih pleaded.

Aerith's mother looked at her daughter, staring at her wide and pleading eyes. Then her gaze shifted back to where Zack sat. He straightened up and his eyes met with hers, but he didn't say a single word. A moment later she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Fine, tell me what has happened."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time again for another chapter of our little story here!   
Thank you all so much for checking this out and we hope that you enjoy what is to come! We still have so much more to cover on the story!


	27. Chapter 27

"Aerith, I just don't know."

Aerith sighed at her mother, who thankfully had listened to the entire story, but that didn't sway her opinion completely to the other side. She was still skeptical of Zack and everything that he was apart of, even if he said he wasn't with Shinra anymore. He once was part of it and that was part of the hurt that was left behind.

Aerith knew her mother meant well though. She was always looking out for her and wanting what was best. Her mother was just doing what a good mother would do, and that was protecting her daughter.

Overall it was still hard to overcome all of the feelings that were in her chest. She wanted to go against her mother and convince her to let Zack stay with them. She wanted to help Zack and comfort him because she saw how badly he needed it. Yet at the same time she still needed her space from him. It was ironic, since they had been apart for such a long time and only had just reunited. He wasn't the direct source of her pain, but he had been part of the cause and effect. Shinra was to blame, but he was only caught up in the middle of it all.

Before Aerith could speak up, Zack cleared his throat. He stood up from his seat and looked at Aerith's mother. "Aerith's mom, uh… ma'am. I understand if you don't really trust me. I have been gone quiet a while anyways. I think it may be best if… if Cloud and I leave. I don't want to be a burden or anything on you or cause any trouble anyways."

"Shinra has already caused enough trouble as it is," Aerith's mother replied. "You may be evading Shinra now, but I don't want to take such a risk with fugitives."

"Mother!"

"No, Aerith, she's right." Zack held up a hand to prevent Aerith from going any further. "She's right. Having me around is a big risk. If anyone from Shinra spots me, it could mean big trouble, and the last thing I would ever want to do is put you in danger."

"Zack…"

"I'll be fine, Aerith. Just gotta wait it out until it's a bit safer," Zack replied.

"You could at least stay at the church, right?" Aerith asked. "You need somewhere to sleep."

"Oh right, heh I guess I forgot that I don't really have any gil on me or anything. Guess I better start looking around for small jobs as well, it shouldn't be too hard." Zack smiled to Aerith and her mother, showing his usual enthusiasm and optimism.

Aerith couldn't help but laugh. She knew Zack was still hurting inside, but seeing him trying to be better and try to be happier was a good sign. But now he was going to leave again. She knew he would see her again, he wouldn't let it go any other way, but it was the 'when' that made her wonder like she did before.

"Thank you for letting me stay for some tea at least," Zack said, bowing his head slightly to be as respectful as he could.

Cloud, who had returned during Aerith's explanation to her mother, shortly followed suit and performed the same motion, thinking it was appropriate as Zack had done it. "Yeah, thank you."

"Of course," Aerith replied softly. "I'm glad I could help."

"Now if you boys are going to be staying out in the church for sometime, you'll need something to stay warm," Aerith's mother said. "Let me go and grab some blankets for you to use."

Zack shook his head. "Oh you don't have to do that, Cloud and I have been roughing it out on the road this entire time."

"I insist. You may be strong boys, but I am not going to let you go unprepared. Fugitives or not, you should be able to have some supplies."

Zack was surprised by the kindness of Aerith's mother despite her distrust in him. But he could see that there was a deep sense of caring in her eyes that could not be trifled with. Without anything more to say, Zack nodded to her with a smile, giving her his thanks once more.

She walked out of the room, leaving the three young adults to themselves. Aerith sighed deeply, looking over to Zack. "I'll come visit you, okay? But for now I probably need to talk about this with my mother some more."

"She is only looking out for you, so I get it… I should have figured she probably wasn't too thrilled to see me."

"Well I'm older now, so it's my life. But, I still like her help sometimes. Everything will be fine, just give it some time, okay? Just… so I can figure things out."

Slowly Aerith approached Zack and right away he opened up his arms to her. Aerith slowed slightly when she reached him, and instead of embracing the man as he expected, she turned slightly. A pause occurred between the two of them, with Zack looking slightly confused.

"Something wrong?" Zack questioned.

Aerith shook her head and then put one arm around Zack, giving him a halfway hug. Normally, he would not have thought too much about it. However, considering everything that happened, he felt that it was a bit strange. Yet he chose not to comment on it and kept his thoughts to himself.

"That's good. Yeah, good," he replied shortly.

Their eyes met briefly again as she went to pull away, but then both averted their gaze from one another, almost as if they were embarrassed.

Soon, Aerith's mother returned to the room, and in her arms were many blankets and sheets. "We have plenty of spares from over the years. So take them."

Zack thanked her once more before taking the items from her. With that said and done he shifted closer to the door. "I guess… we should be going. It was really nice to see you again Aerith. I hope… we can talk more soon."

"Yeah, me too," Aerith replied quietly, though there didn't seem to be a lot of confidence in her voice.

Zack smiled once more before he stepped out of the door with Cloud in tow. He didn't utter another word after they started walking, and Cloud did the same. It seemed as though the situation had taken its toll on the two of them, mainly Zack. The short walk back through the elaborate spot that was Aerith's property made them both glance around again, taking in the natural beauty of the place.

But finally, a large sigh echoed into Cloud's ears. He looked over to see Zack still walking beside him, but hanging his head slightly as they continued.

"Z-Zack?"

"Yeah?" he replied back tiredly.

"Are you, um… will you be okay?"

The black-haired man raised his head back up and looked in Cloud's direction, giving a half-hearted attempt of a smile. "Sure, I'll be all right. In time. Let's get a move on now."

* * *

The church ground was nothing to write home about, but it would make do for them for now. After all, they had each been used to roughing it for a while now, but there were at least benches they could push together to form some sort of bed frame. They were even more thankful for the blankets given to them so it would make sleeping on the wood far more comfortable.

Once their little set up was complete, Zack walked over to the flowers that were growing within the church. He sat down beside them and let out a very long sigh. He just sat there though, staring at the beauty that was Aertih's little flower garden. Slowly he started smiling as he reflected on the memories that the flowers brought.

Cloud couldn't help but stare over at his friend. He knew that Zack must be feeling pretty beat up at the moment, and probably confused. But that was all his presumptions. Zack had not talked much since they had gotten to the church so far. However, something else was weighing on Cloud's mind as well. It was something that had been spoken much earlier, and even though he knew how Zack must be feeling, he felt as if he did not say something that the anxiousness would eat him alive.

"Hey, uh, Zack. You okay over there?"

Zack seemed to be slow to respond at first, but he quickly shook his head and turned around to find Cloud. "Oh, yeah, I'm good right now," he lied in an obviously false upbeat tone. "What's up?"

"Um…" Cloud averted his eyes to the ground. "I don't really know… Just something that's on my mind I guess…"

The hesitation in his voice caused Zack to turn around sharply towards his friend, while still sitting down on the ground. He didn't know what was ailing Cloud, but he knew that he wanted to help his friend if he could. Despite that he was still not feeling the best at the moment, he pushed those worries of his own down inside of him. He would save it for another time.

"Well, you know that you can tell me Cloud. Come on, sit down here with me," he said as he patted a spot on the floor next to him. Without a word made his way over and quietly sat down next to Zack. Once he was sitting, Zack continued to talk. "So what's on your mind?"

"Hmm… I think I'm probably just over thinking it… but I just can't stop thinking about this. It was something you said earlier."

"I did say a lot earlier Cloud. You'll have to be a bit more specific. Just tell me what it is. I'm sure whatever it is, it's nothing big to worry about."

Cloud fidgeted slightly before rubbing his hands together. He still kept his eyes away from Zack, instead looking at the flowers before them. "You said… You were telling Aerith that she was the only one who meant anything to you… that you were only happy because you were thinking about her… I guess I'm just worried about what that means for me…"

The words Cloud had said took a moment to process in Zack's tired brain. But when it did, he straightened up sharply and pulled Cloud in close to him, giving the blond a tight hug. He had no idea that Cloud had overheard him, but he figured since he had shouted it only made sense. His heart twisted a little while he embraced Cloud as tightly as he could.

"Don't think that Cloud. It was the first time I had seen her in a long time, and I just… got caught up in the moment. She does matter to me of course, quite a lot. But so do you Cloud. You're my best friend, and honorary brother, you got that?"

He spoke with such a reassuring voice. It comforted Cloud, and made him feel like things would be all right. However, there was still this pang of fear that would not leave his body. Even after what he had just heard, his anxiety still raged like a burning fire.

"Yeah I guess. I just got a little too worried about it… I didn't want to be forgotten about."

"You know that I won't do that. I never once left you behind on our journey here. Remember all that time we spent together?"

"Yeah… I know," Cloud replied softly as he thought over everything he could remember. "You really did look out for me when you didn't have to… I probably slowed you down a lot at the start."

"Nah, you didn't slow me down," Zack started. "Well… maybe a little. But hey! I didn't mind helping. You needed it, and that's what was important. And you were there for me later on. So we helped each other."

"If you say so. Thanks Zack, but just as you said…" Cloud turned to look up at Zack. "We help each other. So if you have anything on your mind, you can talk to me too."

"Glad that you understand Cloud," Zack spoke and released the blond from his hug.

He then got up and walked over to the spot he had made in the church to be able to rest. "I don't know about you, but I'm gonna take a nap. I'm beat. Unless… do you need me to stay up with you?"

"Who me?" Cloud asked without thinking.

"Well, who else is in here with me," Zack sarcastically answered as a chuckle came from his mouth.

"Ah, uh no I'm fine. Thanks Zack. I'm just not tired for once actually."

Zack nodded and then turned and laid down on the makeshift bed he had made, leaving Cloud to stay up. It wasn't too long before Zack was snoring soundly, the largeness of the church carrying the echo.

Upon seeing this, Cloud wondered what he would do for all of that time. Without being able to come up with any good ideas, he eventually decided to head over to his area to sleep. At least he could rest his body somewhat. Though, relaxing his body seemed to be all he needed as his eyes became heavy as he too drifted off into a sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now Zack and Cloud finally have made it to Midgar and everything. But how long can this peace last? Hmm find out next time!


	28. Chapter 28

Zack pulled his hood up over his head a little tighter. He could tell that there were some Shinra men in the area. He could sense it, but he had no idea where exactly they were snooping about. Either way he knew that he had to be quiet and careful with what he was trying to do.

Slowly and cautiously he walked up to the small shop and entered inside. The bell chimed as soon as he pushed the door open and the person at the front looked over to him. "Hiya, can I help ya?"

"Uh yeah, I saw the sign in the window that you are looking for some help. I'd like to apply."

"That's great to hear! What's ya name?"

"Zack…" Zack stopped himself before finishing.

Being undercover meant that he had to be careful of who he talked to and what he said. That included his own name since he was still being searched for by Shinra. Though initially since the event at Nibelheim, he had been reported dead by Shinra themselves to cover it up and that was five years ago.

"You got a last name there buddy?" The store owner asked, looking a little skeptical.

"Ah, yeah yeah! Zack. Zack Fair," Zack replied far too quickly and instinctively.

"All right," the owner said with a shrug. "Let me grab the paperwork from back and we can talk more about this."

After the man had gone to the back, Zack let out a long sigh. "_All that hard work I did to become a hero… and it's all for nothing? Shinra just makes me nonexistent?"_

Cloud, who had been following behind Zack quietly the entire time, looked at him, wondering what must be going on inside of his head. He seemed to be mulling over something but it wasn't clear if the look on his face was disappointment or confusion.

"There something wrong, Zack?" The blond asked promptly.

Zack turned to him. "Well… it's just… I guess we don't have to worry about being uncovered at least for now. Seems that nobody even knows who I am anymore…"

"Oh, so that's what it is. It's good that we are able to remain hidden though, right?"

"Well, I-" he stopped quickly and gathered his thoughts. With a deep breath, he continued. "I think it is a good thing, yeah. Just something I was thinking about."

Soon after, the man came back to them. He held out a small stack of papers towards Zack. "Okay, just read over this and answer how you can and we'll see if we can use you. And I assume it's just you looking for the spot, not your friend?"

"Just him," Cloud answered quietly.

"Yeah, let me just look through this then," Zack replied after.

"Just take your time and let me know if you have any questions," the man said. "By the way, you seem like quite a well-built young man. You do anything before?"

Zack tried to think of a response that would suffice. Even though he wanted to see if he would be recognized, he also knew not to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves for now. The knowledge that it would happen sooner or later lingered in his mind, but he would prefer it be for later at this point.

"Well, we were soldiers before," he spoke before thinking more about his answer, so he tried to bounce back. "Just some normal infantry though. But… we got hurt so we were put out," he followed up quickly. "But now we've recovered and are just trying to find our place again."

He was hoping that it was a believable enough excuse. It wasn't entirely a lie either, but it just wasn't the whole truth. Being a soldier. It was the only thing he had ever known for a job, and he almost didn't think he had a reason to lie either. At least, he hoped that was the case.

"Seems rough, I always knew Shinra was a harsh environment to work for," the man replied. "I am sorry to hear you went through that, but if you are a former Shinra worker that proves you have something good to put to use."

Zack stifled a small grin. "Oh yeah!"

He finished up the paperwork fairly quickly and handed it back to the man. "Here you go."

"Good good. Now, there's a good chance I'll hire you. You seem like a good guy. But still, gotta do the process. So come by here in a couple days and we'll see, okay?"

"Sounds good to me then. Thanks for the help," Zack replied shortly before heading off, bringing Cloud along with him.

Once they were outside, Cloud spoke up again. "That went easier than I thought. I guess they didn't care too much that we used to work for Shrina…"

"Yeah, I guess so. Almost seems strange but then again… they did announce I was KIA, or rather that a 1st class was. They didn't specify. And since Shinra chooses to keep so much stuff under wraps, I guess it's no surprise that people don't think twice."

"Does that bother you Zack? I… wasn't gonna say anything. But you seemed… off."

"I don't know. Not to say bothered, but it's just weird. It'll be fine. As long as this works out for us, right?" Zack replied quickly.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. I guess I need to find a job now somewhere. Wanna keep looking around?" Cloud asked.

"Sure, we can keep looking. Hopefully there's still plenty of places to keep looking. You want me to lead somewhere, or you want to take it?"

"I, uh, should be fine I think doing it."

"Okay, if you say so. Lead on, Cloud."

The time away from thinking about where to go allowed Zack to think. Being a soldier. It was the only thing he had ever known for a job. He could do other things of course, but he was best at fighting. But that wasn't what really bothered him. Now, he could drop the facade while inside his own head, as he only kept that up around others externally. The truth of the matter was, the idea of not being remembered did bother him.

"_All that I ever did for Shinra. Everything is just… gone. I know we are supposed to keep a low profile now, but surely someone has to remember. I just… don't want to believe it was all for nothing. My honor, my dreams. Angeal's legacy… Do people even remember Angeal? Did I ever truly become a hero? Did I make a difference?"_

So many questions that he could not answer. But what of his own legacy? He knew that Cloud knew, and that Aerith would believe him of course. He knew that he was never world renowned like Sephiroth either, and while he knew that it shouldn't matter now that he despised Shinra, there was still a part of him that couldn't let it go.

"Maybe someone would know," he muttered quietly.

"You say something?" Cloud asked as he looked back to his friend.

Zack had not expected to be heard. "Oh, it's nothing. I'm just thinking to myself. Continue on though." He nodded in Cloud's direction as they kept walking, trying to prevent any further thoughts from being too easily overheard.

* * *

"Man, I am starved!" Zack exclaimed. "Maybe we should try and find some food about now."

The two of them had been wandering around the slums, trying to find other places that were hiring. There were some, but they weren't really jobs that Cloud thought he would be able to manage or were really his forte. They kept them in mind though just as a backup plan at least if worse came to worst.

"Then let's find someplace to eat? Where could we even go down here?"

"There's gotta be some places, I mean we could go visit Aerith, but I'd hate to bother her for just some food," Zack replied softly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Come on, let's see what we can find."

They strolled around the area, looking for any place that could be enticing. Eventually they came across a small soup restaurant that didn't look very crowded. They walked up and entered the place, the nice smells of different types of soup filled their noses.

"Wow, this place smells great! Let's see what kind of soup they got here!" Zack exclaimed as he ran up to the front counter. Zack stared up at the menu, quickly reading over everything.

"Yeah, really smells nice," Cloud added.

The older man at the front of the counter chuckled. "Nice to see some young strapping men excited about my little soup selection here."

The two of them turned their attention to the man standing there. He was a thin man, with tanner skin that looked to have seen a lot of sunlight at one time. It was odd to see though considering the fact he lived under plate where not much light could come through.

He had long, white hair that was pulled back into a ponytail with a matching white beard to go along with it. His green eyes were just about as clear and piercing as a certain girl they both knew, which distracted them both for a moment.

Then, Zack finally spoke up. "Ah, well we're just pretty hungry. I don't remember seeing this place before, so what do you have here that's good?"

The man gently closed his eyes and smiled. "Well, any of it is good if you ask me. But of course, I'm partial since I own it," he said as he reached below the counter and turned out a piece of paper. "But here's the menu you can look through. Take any seat you want and let me know when you're ready."

Zack and Cloud quickly went and took a seat at the nearest table they could find. The two shared the menu as they looked back and forth at the assortments of soup that could be chosen.

"Wow all of this sounds really good," Cloud started. "I haven't had any food like this in… a long time…"

"Yeah, same here. So many choices here. But I think I'm gonna go with a simple potato soup. Sounds great. You make your mind up yet, Cloud?"

"I don't know… maybe the tomato basil here. I've had that before?"

"Seriously?! You actually like that stuff?"

"Yeah, what's wrong with it? It's good for you at least."

"Uh, no thanks buddy. I'll stick with my starches. Besides, I get enough exercise to work it all off anyways," Zack commented as he chuckled.

After looking over the rest of the menu and not finding much else, Zack raised his hand and called for the man from earlier. Slowly but surely, the older man made his way over to their table from the back where he had been. Once he was there, Zack and Cloud gave him their orders to put in.

"Okay, so one potato soup and one tomato basil. And water with each. I'll get your food for you as quickly as we can," he spoke softly as he turned and marched back towards the back area.

* * *

They had to wait quite a while, seeing as the older man they met was the only person there at the shop. But during that time, Zack and Cloud relaxed and talked about a good bit of things. And the time had passed almost effortlessly, so much so that their food had finally been brought to them. The aroma of the food glided past their noses, making them feel even hungrier than before. It didn't take long for them to gobble the food up, without many words between the two of them.

"Ah, that hit the spot!" Zack exclaimed.

Cloud slurped the rest of his soup, life seeming to flow back into his face. "Oh yeah, it was very good. That was a lot more than I expected. I wonder how much that will be?"

"I don't know bu- Oh no…"

"What is it Zack?"

"Cloud, we don't have any money," Zack said in a hushed tone so they wouldn't be overheard. "What are we gonna do? Can't just run out, that would be wrong."

"Oh, I kinda forgot about that. I was just so hungry…"

"Yeah, I know, me too. Oh man, this is a dilemma," Zack said rubbing the back of his neck.

Their mini conversation was interrupted though as they heard footsteps inch towards them. "So how was everything boys?"

"Oh, uh, it was great. Yeah I was starved. It hit the spot," Zack replied with a slightly nervous expression.

The old man narrowed his eyes slightly, but then smiled once again. "I'm glad to hear it!"

He then pulled up a chair and sat down next to the two of them. "Now, I hope you don't mind if I join you for a bit."

"Not at all," Cloud simply spoke.

The man turned towards Zack and eyed him curiously. Zack returned the look as he started at the older man, not budging an inch. "You know, I had to think about it for a moment, but I knew that you seemed familiar."

Zack looked surprised. "You mean me?"

"Yeah, just look at you. The way you're built… you were in SOLDIER weren't you?"

An expressive sigh came across Zack's face. He knew that the man was right, and he seemed quite perceptive, so Zack did not want to lie to him. At this point, there wasn't a reason for it. He caught Cloud's eye, who gave him a worried look, but Zack only nodded his head towards his blond friend.

"Yeah, that's right. That couldn't have been what gave it away though."

"You're right. It was your eyes. I'd know those anywhere. After as many times as I saw those eyes, it's hard to forget."

"If that's the case, then do you know who we are?" Zack questioned him with narrow eyes.

"Hmm… I don't know your blond friend. But you. I had seen you around. Heard about you too. Zack the hero, supposedly."

Zack's expression changed from a look of worry to a look of shock. Surely he didn't hear the man correctly.

"What? Did I hear you right? People still know about me?"

"I didn't know you were that famous," Cloud chipped in.

The old man began to laugh. "Well, when you're my age you hear a lot of things."

"Can you tell us?"

"Sure, nothing else going on anyways," he said shortly.

He raised up and went to shut the door to his shop while putting up the closed sign. Once that was done, he returned to his seat, finding an attentive Zack and Cloud waiting.

"Well to answer your question, no. Nobody talks much about SOLDIER heroes anymore. There's none left. The last time I heard about you was almost 5 years ago. Some people around town and even other places would talk."

"I mean, it's true that I tried my best to help people. Heck, even had my own fan club," Zack chuckled lightly. "But I've been gone a while. Figured most had forgotten…"

"You apparently helped a lot of people. And people remembered. Some of them. Nobody talks about it openly though. But I have to ask you… what happened to you?"

"I…" Zack paused for a moment.

"Zack? You okay?"

Should he tell the man? That was a question he wasn't sure of. No he can't. It's too dangerous to tell someone else, just in case.

"I can't say. I'd like to, but I wouldn't want anything to happen if you knew. To keep it simple, I'm no longer with SOLDIER."

Zack expected some retort of some kind from the man but he received none. He only nodded. "I understand. I can tell it was hard on you both, whatever it was."

"Thanks," Zack uttered.

That was a relief. He also did not want to bring up the past, in an effort to hopefully not have Cloud remember any of that stuff if he could help it. As much as Cloud had improved, he didn't want his friend to relapse with issues again.

"But, how did you find out all that?"

"Well like I said, I've been around for many years. I see things, hear things, experience things. There's many stories I could tell you, but we're not going into that," he chuckled.

Silence fell among the three of them, but was soon broken.

"Despite what you may think, don't doubt that you've helped people. Even if some do forget, you've left your mark. And the fact that you're still here, means you have more left to give," he trailed off as the two boys looked at him. "At least, that's what an old man thinks."

"You do know quite a bit. I think that's more than even I've heard about him," Cloud added.

"Hey now that's not true. I think," Zack scratched his head, unsure of what he just said.

"Well, I usually close down shop about this time anyways. It may only just be mid evening, but it is just me here after all," the older man said as he stood up from his chair and stretched his back.

"Oh," Zack started, worrying how he was going to admit the next part to the man. "I really appreciate your time and food here. I… we were so hungry we didn't think about not having money though. I'm sorry. I'll do whatever I need to do to repay it," he said with a bowed head and hands clasped together.

There was a short, eerie silence, making Zack fear for the worst. Cloud was worried as well, but stayed seated for the time being as they waited for what was next.

"Don't worry about it."

Those were words neither of them expected to hear.

"Wait, what?" Zack stammered.

The man turned around. "I said don't worry about it. Your company was more than enough. And to meet a genuine SOLDIER, and a hero at that. It's an honor."

Cloud stood up swiftly. "But, are you sure it's okay though? I feel responsible in some way too."

"Nah, I said it's fine." He then turned to Cloud. "You may not be a SOLDIER, but it was nice meeting you too."

"Wait, how'd you know?" Zack and Cloud asked in unison.

"Oh I just have a certain… eye for things," he said as he winked at them.

"Thanks a lot mister! I owe you one. I'll repay you for this someday."

"So, are we going then?"

"Yeah Cloud, we are."

As they turned to leave, the man cleared his throat. "Hold on, there is one more thing I wish to ask you young men."

"Huh? What is it?" Zack asked as he turned around.

The man looked at Cloud. "Just where were you in Shinra?"

"Uh… Infantry…" Cloud answered not knowing where the man was going with this.

"Ah, I thought so. I had a son there. Didn't care so much for the SOLDIER part, just wanted to be a part of Shinra. But I haven't heard from him in a couple of years. Do you think you knew him? His name is Devon Sarlon."

"Devon…" Cloud pondered for a moment. "I think… I think that name sounds familiar. I think he was in the same division as me… Yeah, the more I think about it, he was."

"Oh, I didn't know that you had some others you were close to Cloud. That's good to hear!" Zack chimed in shortly.

"Well, not super close. I just forgot before I guess…" Cloud added.

"Is there anything else you could think of son?" the older man asked.

"Umm… I think I did talk with him a couple times. Nice guy. But I wouldn't know where he is now. It's been more years than that since I've been gone… I'm sorry."

The old man gave a small smile. "That is all right. It is an army after all. These things… they do happen. But thank you for telling me. You boys take care now."

"Hey…" Zack began to say. "if it's not too much trouble, can I ask one more thing of you?"

"Hmm?"

"Could you not tell anyone that we were here? If they ask. I'm not sure if anyone would. But just in case."

"Who was here? I'm just going to clean some bowls of the two soups I decided to eat myself," the old man said as he was walking back to the kitchen and waved his arm up at them.

Zack smiled gently at his back. "Thanks."

After that the boys said their goodbyes and the two of them walked out of the door of the shop and gently closed the door behind them. Once they were outside, Cloud spoke up again.

"Where are we going though?

"I'm not sure. We can wander around the city I guess. Go to the park if you want. I haven't been there in a while. You probably don't know where it's at though do you?"

"Not exactly, no."

"Okay then we'll follow me."

They started walking through the streets as Zack kept to himself most of the time, though he walked with a pep in his step, almost like a new life was radiating from him.

"_I was really… a hero to some people. Huh. I never would have guessed. I suppose I did become a hero after all. In a way. I suppose I should be thankful then. Maybe the old man was right. Maybe my journey isn't over yet."_

"Zack!"

"Oh uh, what is it?"

"You nearly walked into a wall. Are you daydreaming?"

"Sorry, just got lost in thought again. Just what the old guy said back there. It kinda hit me here," he spoke as he pounded his fist over his heart.

"Oh yeah, that. I never knew that you were known so much by others. That's amazing."

"Well it's not something I talk about too much. Or rather, I didn't have much of any reason to."

"I can listen. After all… aren't we two backwater boys?"

Zack and Cloud both burst into laughter. "You know, you are totally right about that. How could I forget!"

Suddenly a different voice spoke up. "What's with all the nois- Cloud?!"

They both quelled their laughter and turned in the direction of the voice. Cloud's eyes grew wide as he knew the familiar face of the person he saw all too well, but it's someone that he thought he might never see again. Zack almost didn't recognize who it was at first, but upon seeing Cloud's reaction, it all became clear to him.

"Well, this should be interesting," Zack said simply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now this chapter was a nice long one. It was still a lot of fun to write either way and we hoped you all enjoyed!  
But hmmm just who could that be there at the end? I wonder... XD


	29. Chapter 29

There wasn't much time to react before the familiar face nearly tackled him to the ground. Thankfully he was able to hold his ground long enough to keep standing. He still could not believe who it was that he was seeing.

"T-Tifa?"

"Cloud!" she exclaimed again. "It's really you isn't it?"

"Y-Yeah… but how did…? How are you…?" Cloud tried to ask, but he couldn't seem to find any way to end any of his questions.

Tifa didn't give her answer. Instead she pulled away from Cloud and stared at Zack with wide surprised eyes. "You!"

Zack looked around and then pointed to himself. "Me? What about me?"

Tifa's face scrunched up into a scowl. Slowly her hand closed into a fist as she took a few steps forward. Zack could already see the anger in her eyes and he knew that she meant business. He thought for a moment to recall what could possibly be the issue, but then it hit him.

"_Oh yeah… Nibelheim. Five years ago. I remember now…" _his thoughts trailed off slowly.

Back then, Tifa had told him that she hated Shinra and SOLDIERs after Sephiroth had set fire to the town. Even though he had saved her life, she still showed only anger and hostility to him. To be honest, he couldn't really blame her for her anger towards them. Even though he would normally just accept things, he found this situation harder than usual as he continued to look at her.

"Don't think I forgot about you! I could never… not after…" she huffed heavily before grabbing onto Zack's shirt with her other hand.

"Look, I can understand your dislike for SOLDIERs, and Shinra. I don't like them either. Neither of us do. If you give us a moment, we can explain things," Zack tried to settle her anger.

"What's there to explain? I'll just have to beat you over it," she continued on as she raised her fist.

Just as she was about to bring down her fist, another hand grabbed it and stopped her. "Tifa, stop. Zack's telling the truth. He doesn't deserve this. Especially not now."

"Why doesn't he deserve what I want to dish out to him?" Tifa asked. "You weren't there Cloud! You have no idea what happened!"

"I… I was there. I don't remember much, most of it's hazy. But, I remember you being hurt… and I checked on you. I know there's more, I'm just trying to remember…" Cloud said tiredly as he tried to think and let go of her wrist.

"Hey hey, don't push yourself too hard Cloud. It's okay if you can't remember it all. I remember," he spoke to Cloud, but then he turned his gaze back to Tifa. "He was there with me. I still recall everything about it."

Tifa's face changed with a look of shock etched on it. "You were… there, Cloud? But, why didn't I ever see you then?" she asked more quietly as she lowered her hand and let go of Zack's shirt.

"I think it was… uh, sorry. It's kinda hazy. Hard to remember sometimes." Cloud grimaced slightly as he placed a hand to his forehead.

"It's fine, Cloud. As I said, I can explain everything to Tifa," Zack said quickly as he picked up on Cloud's pain. The last thing he wanted was for Cloud to have any pain in remembering or even worse have some form of panic attack..

"And why would I listen to you?" Tifa retorted, crossing her arms as she still didn't believe him.

"Because it's the only answer that you will have right now."

"Tifa, it's okay. Zack's my best friend. I remember him there, and he'd never lie," Cloud said softly.

"Please Tifa, let me explain. Cloud if your head is hurting, maybe we should find a place for you to sit for a bit while I explain things to Tifa?"

Looking back over to Cloud, Tifa could see that he was having some issues of some sort, but she didn't really know what was going on. She wanted to understand, and currently, there was only one person that was trying to give answers. She spared a look back towards the black-haired SOLDIER and gave him a long stare, which was returned in kind with one of his own.

She sighed heavily and shook her head. "Fine, fine. I'll hear what you have to say."

"Thanks, Tifa. But, I'd rather try to explain in a more… private area. Not out in the open like this. For the safety of Cloud and myself."

"Okay, fine. But I'm doing this for Cloud though, got it? I'll decide on you _after_ I hear what you have to say," Tifa said matter-of-factly.

"Right! Hear that Cloud?"

"Yeah, I did. Glad you are hearing him out Tifa."

Zack looked back to her. "So where can we go then?"

"Just follow me to the bar that I run. It's in the slums here, a little bit away."

With that, she went over to Cloud and placed her arm around his shoulder to see if he needed any help. The blond did not refuse either, as he leaned into it as she acted as a sort of crutch for him. Tifa turned and gave Zack a nod with her head. Seeing this, Zack only grinned slightly and followed the two of them as they set off.

"_I guess trying to remember that time wasn't such a good thing for Cloud. Guess his memories still are messy. I'll have to try to keep that conversation away from him then when we're there…"_

* * *

"Okay here we are," Tifa said lightly as they began to approach a building.

It was a fairly decent sized place, standing two floors tall and made completely out of a wooden material. There were some windows that lined the base of the building, with some lamps closer to the door and strings of lights adorning the rest of the building. A small metal fence surrounded the place and only separated at the front where a set of wooden stairs led up to the front door.

"Hmm, this place looks familiar actually," Zack stated as he peered all around the building.

"You've been here before?" Cloud asked quickly.

Tifa turned back to him. "Normally I'd say it's because a lot of the slums look the same. But this building was specially built."

"Yeah, I can see that," Zack said as he looked up closer to the top. That's when he finally saw what he wanted to see. "Ah, so that's it!"

"Hm?" Tifa questioned silently.

"The name of the place. 7th Heaven. It's the name I picked out many years ago actually. I helped some old carpenter when he finished with it," Zack admitted with a grin on his face.

"You named this place? No way…" Tifa trailed off.

"Wow, that's really cool Zack," Cloud spoke up again.

"Yeah that was a long time ago though. Well, why don't we go inside then and quit standing around, eh?"

The three of them headed inside, right away Tifa headed over to the bar area and walked behind it. "I guess since you are both here. Is there anything you want to drink?"

"Maybe just some water… head still hurts a bit…" Cloud muttered.

"Hmm, I think I'm good for now, but thanks for the offer."

Tifa poured a glass of water and set it down on the counter for Cloud. He took his seat and started to drink it slowly. "Thanks."

"Now, what was it you were going to tell me?"

"Well first… could we step into the next room or something?" Zack asked as he gave a quick side glance to Cloud.

"And why would that be? Why can't you just tell me right here?"

"Cause…" Zack leaned a little closer as he lowered his voice. "I don't want to stress out Cloud more than he already is. Talking about certain things may upset him more."

Tifa narrowed her eyes at Zack. She still did not trust him that much, but she saw that Cloud clearly did. From what happened briefly before with Cloud's strange head pains, she could only take a shot in the dark and figure that Zack knew what he was talking about. If she wanted to know the answers, she was just going to have to agree and listen.

"All right fine, follow me."

"Okay!" Zack said before looking at Cloud. "Cloud, I'm going to tell the situation to Tifa, okay? You just sit and relax for right now."

"Right," Cloud said before going back to drinking his water.

Tifa led Zack upstairs where there were some rooms located. Those were mainly for tenants that decided to stay, but her room was also in the area, sectioned off from the others. Once they were up there and inside, she closed the door behind them.

"Okay so first off, tell me why you don't want Cloud to hear what you're about to say," Tifa began, her attitude very straightforward.

"That's fair. It's just… ah I guess I gotta start with this first…" he began slowly. "After Nibelheim, we were captured by Professor Hojo, and taken back to his lab for experimentation. That's where both of us spent the next 4 years, a lot of the time in deep sleep but other times...awake, and exposed to mako every single day…"

Tifa's eyes told the story of what she felt as they grew quite wide. She seemed to fumble with words inside of her mind before finally being able to speak.

"W-What?... How? I mean, I had no idea it was like that. I knew Shinra was evil but… to use their own people like that…"

"That's why I tried to tell you to stay away and not get involved. I didn't want to see anyone hurt after Sephiroth… after he went crazy."

Tifa didn't speak, but she bowed her head. Zack wasn't sure if she was just speechless, or if she was embarrassed for being presumptuous about him. Or maybe it was both.

Zack continued. "Cloud… he wasn't used to the mako like I was and he got a severe case of mako poisoning. He's been recovering, but I don't want to end up triggering anything that could set him off. He was already traumatized enough from what Hojo did to him and coupled with the mako, he's blacked out most of it. It's just… a tricky situation."

"Cloud… I had no idea…" Tifa uttered silently with her head still sunk down.

"Should I go on? Or is it too much?"

Her head shot back up. "No. Go on. I want to hear it all now."

"All right then. I'll try to make it as short as I can so Cloud isn't waiting too long. But it is a rather long story…" he trailed off as he began trying to recall every detail.

* * *

"That's pretty much the gist of it, without going into too much detail," Zack finished.

Tifa tried to wrap her mind around everything that she had been told. There was so much that had happened to two of them, Zack and Cloud, in the past few years. More than should happen to anyone.

"I'm sorry that I was rude to you before. I… never knew you two were that close," Tifa finally uttered.

"Well, I told him we were in it together. I wasn't going anywhere without him," Zack chuckled slightly, trying to make light of the situation. "We're like brothers at this point."

"I'm glad that he had a friend like you. I'm glad he's safe at least. Thanks."

"Don't mention it. After all, it's what heroes do right?" Zack smirked.

"Okay, don't do _that_," Tifa warned. "It hasn't been too long. I wanna check on Cloud, make sure he's all right." She then walked to the door and opened it back up.

Zack followed closely behind her as they walked down the hallway towards the stairs. Just then, Tifa spoke up again. "Wait! I almost forgot. You didn't explain how I never saw Cloud… back then."

"Yeah about that. He really was there. He was one of the Infantrymen that stayed with me. Cloud never actually made it into SOLDIER. Cause of that he was too embarrassed and disappointed in himself to come forward with the truth."

Tifa sighed. "I wish I had known he was there… I wouldn't have thought of him any different if he made it into SOLDIER or not."

"Well maybe later on you could try talking to him about that. I am sure he would be glad to hear that. But… don't bring up too much about it. I'm still not sure of how to clear up his issues he's having, or if there is a way to do it…"

"Okay then. I'll watch out for him of course. We'll find a way," she said as they walked back into her bar area.

Cloud was still sipping on his water slowly, just staring at the wall for the time being. He heard them come down the stairs and enter the room as he turned his head to face them. "Get everything figured out?" He seemed to be doing much better than earlier.

"Yep! Tifa understands what was going on now," Zack chimed in.

Cloud's vision turned towards Tifa as he stared at her. She returned his gaze, her crimson red eyes locked completely on his deep blue ones. She sped towards Cloud and embraced him, giving him a tight hug as if not ever wanting to let go.

Upon seeing this, Zack stepped back to the side to let them have their moment as he cracked a smile.

"I'm just glad you're here now Cloud. I don't know how comfortable you are talking about certain… things. But you can tell me anything. Just… you're not going to leave anytime soon right?" she pulled back and looked at him.

"Nah, I'll be staying I think. Besides…" he started with a grin. "I've gotta keep a promise I made to a friend a while back. To be her hero if she's ever in a tight spot."

Tifa's eyes softened. "You remembered."

"How could I forget? I know… I'm having some memory issues. But I can't forget something like that."

A smile etched across Tifa's face again. "Good!"

"So I guess we're all good now," Zack finally spoke up from off to the side whilst leaning against a beam.

"I suppose," Tifa said before crossing her arms. "Though now I need to ask both of you, what are your plans now that you guys made it to Midgar? Do you even have a place to stay?"

"I mean yeah we do, kind of," Zack explained as he scratched the back of his head. "Just staying in a temporary place before we can actually get the gil to get a proper place to stay in."

Tifa raised an eyebrow. "A temporary place?"

"Just a little, old church that a friend of mine owns. Cloud and I are just staying there until the whole getting the gil part can happen."

Tifa shook her head and closed her eyes. "That won't do at all. How about this," Tifa opened her eyes again. "You guys can stay here in the extra rooms."

Both Cloud and Zack widened their eyes. Cloud was the first to speak between the two of them after that. "Wow, really?"

"Yeah, you really mean it? You'd let us stay here?" Zack added quickly.

"Of course," Tifa nodded. "But I need to warn you… I am not really alone here. I have friends… a group I am a part of… AVALANCHE."

Zack immediately tensed up. His eyes narrowed, heavy with suspicion. "AVALANCHE? You seriously are with-"

Quickly Tifa held up a hand to Zack, warranting him to stop. "It's not the same group as you'd be familiar with. We're just using the name. We are not as ruthless as that original group was. While we do still want to stop Shinra though from destroying the planet, we have different methods about doing it."

Zack still felt a bit hesitant, given what he knew about the AVALANCHE from when he was back working for Shinra. But if he had to go off of anything, Tifa could be trusted. She was Cloud's friend and he knew for a fact that Cloud trusted her.

Slowly he sighed. "Okay, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for that. And… if what you are saying is true. Then I'd want to join you guys."

"What?" Tifa asked.

"I want to take down Shinra as much as your group probably does. They've done enough hurt, not just to the planet but to so many people." Zack's fists tightened as he continued. "I'm sick of what they are doing, so please Tifa, let me join."

"I'm staying with Zack. So, I'll join too," Cloud added.

"Yeah, both of us want to join," Zack replied with a head nod. "You know that we would be good additions to have anyways cause we know Shinra like the back of our hands."

Tifa smiled. "I think that would be a great idea, but you would have to convince the leader of our group, and he won't take too lightly to ex-Shinra employees, especially SOLDIER."

"Well," Zack clapped his hands together. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. When can we meet him?"

"We're supposed to have a meeting later today, so if you wait around long enough you'll get your chance then."

"All right then I say that is settled," Zack said before he finally decided to take a seat at the bar.

Tifa circled around behind the bar and started cleaning glasses. "Well I still have to get this place ready for later anyways. You boys want anything else?"

Zack thought for a moment. "You know, after what we've been through, I think I do. Just give me something hard."

"Same here," Cloud stated.

"Oh really?" Zack questioned.

"It's like you said, it's been a long journey. We have a break at least. For now."

"You got me, guess you're right," Zack chuckled.

Tifa found herself laughing. "You two really are close like brothers."

Zack and Cloud looked at each other and then chuckled. It was true what Tifa had said, and they were just glad they were where they were at the moment. It seemed as though things could almost get back on the right track. There were just a few things to work out along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tifa is here everyone! Woo for that and stuff.   
We hope you have all been enjoying and we will see you all next time.


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With Final Fantasy VII Remake being out worldwide now, tmart and I have finished our Ch.30. With that being said, we may use some elements from the Remake but not everything. Please be courteous and do not spoil.

**I**t wasn't much longer before they could hear someone approaching the bar. He could only assume it was going to be the AVALANCHE leader. Zack only heard brief bits about the AVALANCHE Leader so far from Tifa. There hadn't been enough time to tell him everything but he knew two things for sure, this guy Barret despised Shinra heavily and cared deeply for his daughter Marlene.

But he was not expecting a tall and extremely built man to come barging into the place. Right away he locked eyes with Cloud and Zack and then stared at Tifa. "Tifa, who the f*ck are these guys?"

Tifa moved from behind the bar and walked closer to the man Zack kept assuming to be Barret. "They're friends." Tifa then pointed to Cloud. "That's Cloud, the one I mentioned before, and next to him is his friend Zack."

"And what are they doing here?"

"I found them out in the slums. I didn't honestly expect to encounter them, especially after so long. But, either way I did. They want to join AVALANCHE and help out."

Barret straightened up, his gaze becoming much more serious and firm. "And just what do they got that makes them think they can join us?"

"Well…" Zack said as he stood up. He was carefully thinking over what to say to this guy, not wanting to tick him off. "It would be a smart move to have some good insider information on the Shinra HQ, right? Well Cloud and I are your guys for that?"

Barret seemed even more suspicious than before. "And just what information do you think you could have?"

"Uh…" Zack scratched the back of his head. "How to sneak around without too much commotion? Cloud and I are ex-Shinra employees after all."

That was probably the wrong choice of words as Barret's eyes widened, burning with rage. "Tifa! You let two Shinra goons into this place?!"

He started to march forward, towards Zack but Tifa stood in front of him stopping him. But it didn't stop him from raising his right arm up, which turned out to be a large gun that was attached to his upper section.

"Give me one good reason I shouldn't shoot these two dead where they stand!"

"Cloud is my friend from childhood. I trust him completely, and Zack's his best friend. He saved my life once before too," Tifa said quickly, not moving from her spot.

If Zack had been anyone else he would have been terrified of the man who was clearly over six feet tall pointing an arm gun at him. But Zack instead had a completely different reaction.

"Is that a gun arm? That is pretty cool! Hmm, wonder why couldn't I have something like that…?"

Barret raised an eyebrow, staring at Zack. "You sure this guy is actually SOLDIER?"

Tifa had to try and suppress her laugh. "I'm sure of it. He's always been like that."

Barret resumed looking at Zack after that. "Now why the hell would you want an arm like this? You think I actually wanted this in the first place?"

Zack shook his head. "I mean… I kind of already understand." Zack pulled off his glove and proceeded to push up his sleeve. He held it up after that, giving a small wave as if he needed to really demonstrate it.

Suddenly there was a change in Barrett's demeanor. "Did Shinra do that?"

"Pretty much," Zack nodded. "All things considered, I suppose it was a small price to pay for facing an entire army."

"Zack, I... You didn't say something like that happened…" Tifa trailed off.

"Well if it hadn't been for Cloud here, things could have been much worse… probably…" Though his mind swirled with thoughts of what really happened, he tried to shake it as quickly as he could.

"Hold on!" Barett exclaimed. "You mean to tell me you faced off against the entire Shinra army?"

"Didn't have a choice. After being part of their experiments against our will, they didn't like us escaping. It just…" he paused and clinched his fist. "After all I did for them…" he finished through gritted teeth.

"Zack…" Cloud started, his voice soft but meaningful.

Barett hummed to himself thoughtfully before speaking up again. "So you two beat them all yourselves?"

"Well, I wasn't a 1st Class SOLDIER for nothing. And Cloud here has the strength of one now. Is that proof enough for you?"

The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. After a few seconds of thought, Barett held out his left hand to Zack.

"Anyone who is willing to take on Shinra like that and live I think will be a good fit. But! You two still gotta prove yourselves," he said sternly.

Zack grabbed his hand and gripped it tightly. "Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Well that's a shock. I've never seen Barret accept someone so quickly," Tifa admitted.

"Same goes for you too blondy," Barett continued as he looked to Cloud.

"Yeah, I got it. I'll be fine," he answered simply.

"Good! Then let's get to business. I guess since you two are mercs, you'll be wanting payment," Barret said.

Zack shifted. "Well that was the plan after all. Hard to believe we landed a job right off the bat, eh Cloud?"

Barret narrowed his eyes at both of them. "You ain't got a job yet! You gotta go through an initiation first. So, I'm watching you two."

Zack and Cloud just nodded in response, as neither of them felt there was any need for an exchange of words.

"Tifa can tell you, I don't like anything to do with Shinra, so you best remember that. I don't normally just accept people like this either, but I trust Tifa. And you don't seem like a bad person mister SOLDIER. So you two better be worth a damn!"

Barett then walked towards a pinball machine that was against one of the walls. But instead of going to play it, he instead stood there and pressed a button on it. Then the floor started to move beneath his feet. Within seconds Zack and Cloud saw that it was not a pinball machine, but instead a secret elevator to somewhere below.

"Okay, I am pretty sure that wasn't planned when the guy was making this bar."

"Not originally. But it was done shortly after," Tifa answered.

The three went to join Barret and as they descended in the elevator, things were quiet for the most part until Barett spoke up.

"We're not like the old AVALANCHE. We took the name cause the goal is the same: Take down Shinra. But we also trying to save the Planet."

"Save the Planet? What do you mean?" Zack asked.

"You worked for 'em, you should know how bad they are! All this mako, it's destroying the Planet itself. Don't tell me you can't feel it!" Barett answered emphatically.

Zack and Cloud were both taken aback. It was obvious that the burly man felt strongly about their cause. Though, neither of the boys knew what to make of it. At the least, Cloud didn't.

"Sorry, I don't follow," he answered.

"Wait," Zack started. "That, almost sounds familiar. The Planet… it being in trouble. I've heard that from a lot of people before…"

He thought of first hearing things about the Planet from Aerith when he met her. She would talk about those things quite a bit, even though Zack never understood what it was. He tried his best, and over time he was willing to do whatever it took to help her out. But later, Genesis, and even Sephiroth had made comments about the Planet. He had even witnessed the Goddess Minerva before. Maybe there was some truth to what he had heard.

Well?!" Barett continued as the elevator finally came to a stop.

"I can't say I completely understand it, but I think I know what you mean. If it's something that you say Shinra is doing, then I believe it. Nothing they do would surprise me anymore. They're like monsters…"

He turned to Cloud. "What about you?"

Cloud sighed. "I think I understand less about it than you. I'm here for you and to keep my promise to Tifa. So whatever happens, happens."

Tifa smiled. "Well, I'm just glad to have you back Cloud."

They exited the elevator and walked down a narrow corridor that seemed to lead into another room. The area was quite elaborate for just something underneath the slums. It was impressive to say the least. They continued walking for only a few seconds until they entered into the room that was just a short distance away.

It was a smaller room, with a table in the very center of it. It looked as though there was a stockpile of food and other supplies from the various crates lined against the walls. There was also what seemed like some weapon and ammunition supply caches as well, no doubt for their efforts. At least they were well prepared for their cause. On the wall there was also large AVALANCHE poster, no doubt their logo

The more they did nothing, the more there was something that was on Zack's mind as they gathered around the table.

"Just how bad have things gotten in the last five years since I've been gone? Tifa, I know that you told me a few things, but I need to know all of it."

"Yeah, things do seem different than before. The people seem… scared," Cloud added in shortly after.

"Well of course they are!" Barett shouted. "Shinra has everyone under their thumb. The last few years they've increased mako production. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We down here in the slums have it bad, and they don't give a damn about us!"

Zack sighed. "I see. So not much has changed. I guess when you're constantly busy like I was, it's hard to notice things like that. I only found out too late that Shinra wasn't as great as they seemed."

"They care about making money and getting what they want. We're trying to make a difference, but we also don't want anyone innocent getting hurt," Tifa stated.

"Sounds bad," Cloud shortly said afterwards.

Barett slammed his non-mechanical arm on the table. "Damn right it is! And that's why we're taking the fight to them. And you two are gonna help now."

He stopped briefly, and then looked at Tifa. "There's gonna be a bit of a change in plans. I'll think of something, just give me a moment."

"Right, I understand, but is it necessary?" she asked in response.

"Hell yeah! You might trust them, but I still need to see proof. You guys are lucky I let you down here. Plus, the others'll be asking questions too!"

"The others?" Zack questioned quickly.

"Yeah, they should be arriving in just a bit," the burly man gruffly said.

As Barret finished, the elevator became active and once it reached their floor, three people stepped off it. Two guys, with one being slightly larger than the other, and one woman now walked for a short distance until they entered the room. The first thing that caught Cloud and Zack's attention from these three was the fact that they all wore a red headband, though the larger guy had his as a bandana.

The girl had her long brown hair pulled back into a high ponytail with the front of her hair hanging shorter at the sides of her face. She wore ankle-high green pants, and a breastplate covered her torso, layered over some blue undergarments. Pieces of armor lined the wrists and ankles and shoulders, basically any vulnerable area.

The thinner man had short black hair that was being pushed up slightly by his headband, making it stick up in various directions. He wore all green clothing, a simple t-shirt and cargo shorts making up his attire. He only had armor around his ankles, but he wore various belts around the waist and shoulders.

The larger guy in the group also had black hair but most of it was covered up from the bandana he wrapped around his head. He sported a casual white t-shirt adorned by some shorter navy blue cargo shorts. He had armor only around his shoulders and wore suspenders and a belt to better hold up his clothes.

Each one of them looked like they were ready for combat no matter the situation. Granted, not as ready as Barret looked.

"Woah, Barret, who's the newbies?" The slender man said, the first to speak up as the girl and other guy followed behind.

"We were just gettin' to that," Barret spoke before turning to the two new guys. "That there is Biggs that just spoke. Behind him is Jessie, and then Wedge."

Thinking it was appropriate, Zack figured he'd follow suit.

"Name's Zack Fair. _Ex-_SOLDIER 1st Class."

"Cloud Strife. Former Infantryman," the blond answered dully as he stared down at the floor.

The three that entered last looked shocked.

"Wait, you brought Shinra here?!" Jessie exclaimed.

"_**Ex**__-SOLDIER_," Zack corrected. "Big emphasis on the 'ex' part of it."

"Calm down Jessie," Biggs started, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Barrett's a hard man to convince, and if they're here, then he must be okay with them."

"Well I still need these two fools to actually prove themselves first." Barret then pointed to Tifa. "She's the one that already trusts them."

"I mean, it'll be okay guys. Right?" Wedge asked, trying to assure everyone. "They look okay at least."

"Now that I look better, I'd say they look more than 'okay'," Jessie answered again as her gaze settled on the two men.

"I would hope I look more than 'okay', gotta keep up my appearance after all. Good thing that Shinra only got my arm and nothing else."

The three newcomers' eyes quickly fell to Zack's arm. While he had rolled the sleeve back down, he had yet to put the glove back on. Giving a small smile he waved his mechanical hand to demonstrate.

"Oh wow, what in the world," Wedge said after he stared at the hand for a bit.

Biggs started to chuckle. "So that's how you and the big man got along."

Tifa let out a sigh and glanced at Cloud, who locked eyes with her. He shrugged his shoulders, since he didn't know what was really going on. She was about to speak up when Barret began first. "All right! Enough of the sh*t. We can get to pleasantries later!"

His sudden outburst commanded the attention of all in the room. "Good, now let's get to the new plan."


	31. Chapter 31

"Well, I guess that's that, huh?"

"I guess so. But, Zack, aren't we rushing things a bit much?"

The elevator to the bar clicked suddenly and stopped, making them aware they reached the top again. It was a short ride after all. The two boys stepped off into the bar area, where it was barren for the moment. Zack stepped in front of Cloud to direct them to the nearest table to take a seat.

"I don't think so. Think about it, we wanted to be mercs, so this is how we do it."

"Just seems odd… stealing from Shinra, being against them now."

"Remember Cloud. They turned their backs on us, so they don't want us anyways. Besides, this is a good way to get back at them for all they've done. Don't you want that as well?"

"I do, but… I just didn't know what all would be involved. But I'm ready. Just had to ask anyways…" the blond trailed off and glanced down towards the floor.

Zack chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It'll be fine. Now… I guess we just wait for the others to get done with whatever they're doing."

"Yeah, for now at least," Cloud started but then stopped his words. He glanced around the bar, looking for something that might catch his eye. But it was mainly just an ordinary bar with not too much going on besides the music playing in the background from the jukebox. When Cloud glanced over to it, he then saw what was on the wall next to it and it gave him an idea.

"Hey, Zack, wanna go a round in darts while we wait?"

"Huh, what do you mean? There's not- Oh! I see it now. How did we miss that before?"

"Not sure, but it seems like it could be fun."

"Sure thing. Might as well do something at least."

Both of them rose from the table and walked over to where the darts were placed on the side. Zack picked up one set as Cloud picked up the others. Looking up at the scoreboard, they saw several names listed on there, some of which were quite familiar.

"Hey, Tifa's pretty good at this apparently," Zack commented as he pointed to the board, where she was listed as number two.

"Wow, that's pretty good. Wonder if either of us can get that high."

"Guess we'll have to find out then."

They both took turns playing for quite some time, but not for too long though. Eventually, both of them had a higher score than the top spot, but neither had scored perfect yet. Once they did stop, it seemed as though almost a quarter of an hour had passed. Before either one of them could comment on it, they both turned towards the sound of the elevator activating again.

In a few minutes, Tifa appeared before them alone. "You boys entertaining yourselves?"

"Yeah, for the most part. Where's the others?"

"Still discussing some finer details on some… other endeavors."

"You can't tell us anything?" Cloud interjected.

"Afraid not. You boys still have to pass Barret's test. He'll be back up in a moment to tell you all about it, 'kay?"

Tifa then scurried off to the bar area and went through the door behind there. She proceeded to make herself some form of drink and poured a couple glasses of it. Zack and Cloud moved towards the bar as well and took a seat right beside each other.

Whatever had happened down there must have made her anxious for her to suddenly do something like that without a word. Cloud had known her for a while, and even though it had been five years, he felt like he still knew Tifa well enough to remember her mannerisms. He wanted to comment on it, but decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

Zack looked over at Cloud and noticed his expression. "You okay?"

Not expecting the sudden question, Cloud turned around to Zack, startled. "Uh, yeah, I'm just thinking."

"About what?" Tifa asked as she approached the bar, having apparently overheard him. "Maybe you two want something else to drink huh? It will be on the house still," she finished and winked at them.

The elevator started moving again shortly after Tifa spoke. Within a few more seconds, the rest of the troupe was back up top with the rest of them. Barret stepped off the floor first and marched up to the bar.

"All right you two. We've got your mission for you."

"Oh really? Well then, let's hear it," Zack answered back rapidly, not missing a beat.

"We still need some supplies to be able to do a mission that we have later. Can't tell y'all yet cause you're not part of us. Can't have shit leakin' out."

"Okay. So what is it then?" Cloud followed up.

"I'm gettin' there!" Barret started. "You'll be accompanying Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge here to a Shinra camp to steal some materials that we need. I'll be going too. Since you claim to know Shinra places inside and out, then put your money where your mouth is."

The big man then leaned in closer to their faces. "That is, unless Stamp is scared to bite the hand that fed him."

"Already told you I don't have any love for Shinra any more. Neither of us do. Don't worry, we'll do your mission. Piece of cake!" Zack retorted without hesitation.

The two stared at each other intently, neither one letting up.

"Wow, never knew someone that wasn't too intimidated by the boss," Biggs commented.

"Guess that's a 1st Class SOLDIER for you," Jessie replied.

Tifa let out a sigh. "Just don't get too riled up."

Barret finally backed off while letting a grin cross his face. "Nah, I think we're good. I think this one gets it. We'll see how you do on this mission though merc."

"I guess he's not gonna bother learning our names," Cloud stated.

"Right now, you're just a couple of mercs to me. If you prove yourselves, then maybe," Barret answered swiftly.

"Right. So then, what about payment?" Zack inquired.

"What about it? We'll see _after_ your mission, if you earn anything."

Zack saw there was probably no point in arguing with the big guy. After all, he was the leader and seemed to be quite resolute on his stances. Zack knew he and Cloud could handle whatever was put in front of them anyways, so it wasn't something he was too worried about.

"Well, I guess that's something," Cloud added sarcastically, clearly not pleased with the response.

"Cloud it's fine. We'll take care of it," Zack replied.

He then turned his attention back to Barret. "Well, when are we gonna leave then?"

"Right now. So get your asses out there with the three of them and prove I didn't make a mistake trying to bring you on. I'll be right behind you."

Zack and Cloud both glanced back at Tifa, who only shrugged her shoulders. "Well, guess you'll have to get those drinks later. Don't worry, they'll still be here."

"Right. Well, I guess we're off then," Cloud directed towards Tifa as he stood up.

"Yep, thanks for the help Tifa. See ya later," Zack added as he jumped up from the bar.

He took a moment to do some squats, which is what he always did in preparation for anything. It also served as a stress relief for him too, which he did need occasionally. Once he was done with that, he led the way with Cloud following behind him as they left the bar to catch up with Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, who had already exited. Finally, it would be their first step in being able to get back at Shinra for everything they had done.

After his squats were over he was ready to head out of hte when he heard something coming from further back in the bar. Turning around he saw a small little girl running out and over to Barret. She wore a little pink dress and had a short bob haircut. "Daddy you're back!"

She had such a large grin on her face and seemed quite happy. It made Zack smile back to see such cheerfulness as he stood there.

"Aww, I'm sorry honey, but daddy's having to leave right now. Got an important job to do," he said as he squatted down and patted her on the head gently.

"Already? But didn't you just get here?" The little girl asked.

"Been here for a little while, but you were napping. Daddy didn't wanna bother you. Now, you'll have to be a good girl for Tifa again okay?"

"Cloud look at that. Isn't she cute?" Zack said with a smile still on his face.

"Mhm. Seems the big guy has a soft spot," Cloud interjected albeit quietly.

The little girl turned her head to see Cloud and Zack, who she had never seen before. Letting out a short "eep" she immediately ran behind Barret's legs.

He looked at her, and then over at where the others were standing near the door. He gave them a glare, which was obviously directed towards Zack and Cloud, before turning back to Marlene.

"It's all right honey. They're just some new people that are supposed to help us."

"Strangers?" She asked quickly.

"Yeah, nothin' you need to worry about. Now come on, give daddy a hug before he goes."

"Okay!" the girl grinned before giving her dad the biggest hug. "See you daddy!" After that she ran past the tables and went over to Tifa, who was still behind the bar.

After that the group headed outside and Cloud and Zack followed after Barret. "So," Zack said, trying to start up a conversation. "Do we at least get to know her name? Can't just go to say 'Barret's daughter' after all."

Barret stopped. "Now why would you wanna know that?"

"Just trying to be friendly," Zack answered with a shrug.

"Hmph. You seem like an all right guy, but you're still strangers to her. I don't need any of you scaring my daughter."

"How about this. When we complete this mission successfully, you'll introduce us as a new part of your group."

The other three turned to look back, a look of worry crossing Wedge's and Bigg's faces. Jesse didn't seem too worried though, and neither did Cloud, who proceeded to just stay quiet.

"Well ain't you cocky. Fine! I'll hold you to that, merc," Barret answered with a sly grin.

Zack nodded in response. When Barret turned back to the rest of the group, he saw them all standing there.

"Well y'all gonna stand there and gawk, or we gonna get this damn show on the road?!"

* * *

_A few hours later_

Barret knew that he and the other three could have secured the materials they needed for the job just fine. However, having a SOLDIER and another Shinra trooper proved to make the job a cakewalk. Instead of it taking several hours as he expected, the journey only took a couple. He had plenty of time to reflect as they were wandering back into the entrance of the Sector 7 Slums. It was almost like they had hardly left.

"Well, how 'bout it then?" Zack asked suddenly.

Barret looked over at the SOLDIER. "Have to say, you did hold up your end. Both of you." As he finished his words as he glanced quickly at Cloud.

Cloud nodded his head, but didn't have anything to really add to the conversation. It wasn't too troublesome of a mission at least, though Zack did most of the hardest stuff.

"So, do we get to be friends now?" Zack asked as he smiled.

"I would go that far, merc," Barret grumbled. "You still gotta lot to do to prove yourself."

"That's fine. I get it, but do we at least get a proper introduction to your daughter now?"

"Maybe. Depends on how I feel. And if she likes you or not. Don't get too cozy with everything yet," Barret warned.

"All right," Zack shrugged. "You're the boss after all."

They walked for a few more minutes through the winding alleys of the Sector 7 Slums. Eventually they made their way to the large opening where Seventh Heaven stood, it's lights illuminating the area around it as night had already fallen. Of course, the bar was already closed to the public, and most of the people were inside anyway. But when they drew closer, Tifa was sitting on the edge of the steps along with Marlene.

Barret walked a little bit faster. "Hey hey, there's my little girl!"

"Daddy!" the little girl grinned happily. She jumped up to her feet and reached her arms upwards towards him. "You're back again!"

He reached down and scooped his daughter into his arms swiftly as she threw her arms around his neck. "Yes I am," he chuckled aloud.

"So things go okay?" Tifa asked.

Zack was within earshot when she spoke. "Yep, we did just as we said we would."

Cloud walked up, drawing Tifa's attention to him. She smiled at him quickly, causing him to fluster a bit. But after a few seconds, he threw a small grin back to her as well. "Yeah, we did fine. Was pretty easy knowing our way around already."

"See?" Tifa started towards Barret. "I told you they could be trusted."

"Yeah yeah, I know ya did. Let's talk about it inside then away from prying ears," he stated as he led the way through the front doors of the bar.

As he walked up the steps, his daughter, who was sitting up on his shoulder, looked back at Cloud and Zack. She didn't look as afraid, but this time looked more confused or perhaps curious. The rest of the group followed Barret inside after that and Tifa made sure to close the door behind them once they were all inside.

"So how about those other drinks?" Zack asked before stretching his arms. "Something nice and refreshing sounds good after doing some sneaking around."

"Sure, I'll go and get those ready then," Tifa said before heading over behind the bar.

She then stopped quickly and turned back to them. "Actually, you never told me what you wanted. So what'll it be?"

"Hmm… maybe this time… let me think," Zack stated.

"Some drinks do sound good," Biggs announced, being closer to the others.

Barret walked towards all of them and stood in the center. "Tonight, we did what we set out to do. We took from the ones that are always taking from the Planet. It may not be much, but it'll make a difference later!"

Everyone seemed intent on letting the big man speak, so he continued. "Big part is thanks to these two right here," he directed towards Zack and Cloud. "They proved they're not loyal so those Shinra dogs anymore."

"Yeah!" Wedge shouted in agreement.

"Way to go boys," Jessie said approvingly

"So, think they're staying on, boss?" Biggs asked.

Barret paced for a moment, his daughter still situated on his shoulders. "I was unsure at first, but after tonight… I think we can count on these mercs for help, and they might even be members after the big job comin' up!"

"Glad to hear it," Tifa said towards Barret before her vision turned back to the boys seated at the bar.

All the attention was on the two of them now.

"We'll do our best. I have no love lost for Shinra anymore," Zack asserted.

"Uh, same. We'll just do our job like we're asked," Cloud added in.

Barret almost seemed to crack a smile. "Ha! Good to hear. Now, why don't we celebrate with the house special! Tifa, you know what to do."

"Sure. Seven Cosmo Canyon's coming up," she said as she started to grab the ingredients that she needed.

Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge made their way to a high table close to the jukebox machine where they engrossed themselves in some conversation. Barret took a seat right beside Zack at the bar, with the little girl sitting right beside him.

"Well, I guess the drinks were decided for us," Cloud pointed out.

"Yeah, but it's fine. I'm sure it'll be good," Zack answered back.

"If you say so," Cloud responded bluntly.

"I heard that you know," Tifa snapped back. "You've never had anything like this before, I promise," she continued as she winked at Cloud, who turned away.

Barret couldn't help but notice and turned to Zack. "So, those two close?" he asked the Ex-SOLDIER.

"Yeah. Close friends who've just been reunited. Though…" he reached over and grabbed Cloud. "I bet Cloud could tell you about it better!" Zack laughed.

"Huh? Tell what?"

"About you and Tifa."

"Um, uh, well you see… We're, um…" Cloud stumbled across his words.

This drew a laugh from Barret and Zack, but drew a flustered glare from Tifa at Zack, who decided to not say anything more. He didn't have to though as Barret decided to talk anyway.

"It's easy to tell without you saying a word. Huh, makes me even believe more that this was all meant to be then."

Zack was about to answer him, but he noticed the little girl peeking around Barret's arm at him. Once he turned towards her, she hid back behind his arm. Zack couldn't help but chuckle.

"Seems like the little one was curious," he said directly.

Barret felt a tug on his shoulder before he was able to answer Zack. "What is it honey?"

"Are they gonna be with us now?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, looks like they are. Do you wanna meet them?" Barret asked cautiously. If his daughter still seemed to still be afraid of them, he knew there would another time. His daughter always came first after all and her feelings were what mattered most.

She looked thoughtfully before peaking out to look at Zack again. He grinned happily and waved to her and she could see how warm and friendly that smile was. "So who are you?" she finally asked after a few moments.

"I'm Zack, it's nice to finally meet you properly, uh…"

"Marlene!" the girl shouted proudly.

"That's a nice name! So, you wanna know about my friend here too?" he asked, pointing towards Cloud, who still seemed a bit flustered and was being quiet.

"Nah, maybe later. He's real quiet. But you have a lot of energy," she laughed.

"Hmm, it's been a while since she's taken a liking to anyone that quickly. You must not be so bad after all," Barret answered, at his attempt at some sort of compliment.

Zack snickered. "Well, I used to have a nickname… kind of silly but I guess it's how my old mentor saw me."

"What is it?" Marlene asked with wide curious eyes.

"He called me 'Zack the puppy'... and he even told all his friends and even his mom!"

Marlene started to giggle and even Barret chuckled. "No wonder the name Stamp suited you."

"Hey! Just cause I was called a puppy doesn't mean I _want_ to be called that," Zack said as he pouted slightly.

"Aw now you're a pouty puppy!" Marlene giggled as she pointed to him.

"And maybe I shouldn't have said anything," Zack muttered now realizing he just told a little child something really funny that she wouldn't probably forget for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that we got that out of the way, we all know what is going to happen soon enough! But poor Zack haha, that's what he gets for revealing that information.
> 
> Also please don't spoil from the Remake of you can. My co author tmart has not finished it yet.


	32. Chapter 32

Now that it was getting later into the evening, everyone was heading to their homes for the night. Tifa had offered Cloud and Zack to stay in one of the extra back rooms, but before all of that, Zack had to go back and gather their items from the church. There was that and probably also letting Aerith know of the moving situation.

"Cloud, why don't you stay here and help Tifa clean up and stuff. Would it be good to catch up with her, yeah?"

"Oh, uh yeah I could," Cloud replied softly as he glanced to Tifa who was washing a few of the glasses.

"All right buddy, I'll see you soon okay?"

"Okay," Cloud nodded before moving closer to the bar to presumably talk to Tifa.

Zack headed out and started to make his way back to sector 5. Along the way he replayed everything in his mind that had just transpired, making sure everything seemed right. They had a more secure place to stay, and they had a group that they could work for to get the money they needed. On top of that they were going to get back at Shinra all at the same time. It all seemed perfect, but Zack knew he had to still take it easy. Jumping in too soon could only lead to bad things in the end.

After all, look where he had almost ended up for rushing into things before. He didn't like to think about that. He shuddered slightly as he walked, but quickly shook his head.

"All right, no going back to that. It's in the past…" he told himself sharply. "Nice and easy… just gotta think things through. Yeah… I can do that."

Upon arriving back at the church, he peered inside slowly, checking if Aerith was in at the moment. As he expected he saw her tended to her flowers. She seemed to be humming softly, but the sound seemed to carry in the space of the church.

Zack lingered in the doorway as he listened. Her song sounded full of emotion, ranging from soothing to melodic. He started to smile a bit as he watched, wishing he could just listen forever. But he knew better than that. He knew sooner or later he would have to make his presence announced otherwise he would just seem like a creep trying to watch her.

Clearing his throat he entered into the church and Aerith stopped her song. She turned around and smiled as Zack walked in. "Oh Zack, I didn't know you would be back yet."

"It's fine. Just came to gather up the stuff. Cloud and I, we kind of got a place to stay for now over in Sector 7."

"Oh! That's wonderful to hear Zack," Aerith replied as she stood up, clasping her hands together. "Are you sure it's safe though?"

"Yeah, staying at a place that belongs to one of Cloud's childhood friends. That's why he's not with me at the moment. He stayed back there to catch up and stuff," Zack replied before walking over to where he had left his stuff from the prior night.

"I'm glad. It probably is safer than camping out here every night."

"I wouldn't mind…" Zack muttered. "I'd get to see you more often anyways."

"What was that? I don't think I quite heard you," she said, seemingly hiding a grin on her face.

Zack almost didn't want to say it again, but he was never one to shy away from his words. "I just said, I'd get to see -"

"I heard you," Aeirth interrupted with a slightly giggle. "You still have a way with words, don't you?"

He turned towards her after he had gathered most of the items. "Well, you know me. I don't know how to hold back usually. But, I just don't want things to… ya know."

"Yeah… I know what you mean. Don't worry about it though," she said as her voice grew softer.

The two of them looked at each other intently for a moment before turning away. Zack breathed out as he rubbed his arm, his mechanical arm. It was just a natural instinct to do such a motion but he could still feel that it was different. The movement and sensory using it felt like a real arm, but touching it still felt wrong. It was still hard and metal, and a hard reminder of how he nearly failed.

He looked over to what he had gathered, noticing he had everything he needed. He cleared his throat swiftly and spoke up.

"I, guess I should get going then."

But he wanted to stay. More than anything else, he wanted to spend more time with her. However, he could sense the pressure in the air around them, and he didn't want to make things too strange. At least, not any more than they were already.

As he reached down to gather his things, he felt a tug on his arm slightly. His eyes glanced back to see the flower peddler looking at him with her emerald eyes, the light refracting in them with such a glow he was entranced.

"Wait, Zack… don't go yet. I mean, if you wanna stay longer, that is."

His eyes widened at her words, but his heart fluttered inside of him so quickly. "Well, I guess if you insist," he spoke with a cheer, or at least one as best as could muster. "Just don't… wanna overstay my welcome."

'_Shit, why did I say that.' _That was the question indeed. That's not something he would have normally spoken aloud. Maybe Zack had allowed his emotions to get the better of him this time. He could only guess how she would react.

A soft sigh escaped from Aerith's young lips. "You're not," she said simply before letting go of his arm and pacing around in a circle.

She grabbed her other hand behind her back and pranced around in a circle repeatedly. It was almost as if she was dancing, but it wasn't exactly the same feeling. At least from what Zack could tell.

Still, he watched her closely as she moved, not wanting to miss a single moment he could see her. He wanted to speak up, but he didn't want to slip up again.

"Did you," she began before stopping hesitantly in both her body and speech. "Did you get my letters I sent?"

"Of course! Tseng gave them to me after finding me outside of Midgar. I read them all… all 89 of them. I loved each and every one you wrote, really helps give an insight… to what I missed…"

She could sense the pain in those last words. But she could also feel it inside of her own heart. An immense sadness enveloped her, but at the same time, an overwhelming joy wrapped its imaginary arms around that negativity in an attempt to keep it at bay. Aerith felt like a glass cage that could just burst at any moment.

"I'm… glad to hear it. That you at least read them. I… Zack…". She lost her words.

"I just wish… things would have turned out differently. All that time just… lost," he spoke solemnly.

It wasn't like him to harbor feelings such as those, much less allow them to come out if they developed. But he couldn't help himself. It's as if all of his true feelings were bursting out of him at that moment. Aerith was the only one he trusted like that, more than anyone. It was just this feeling he had that made his heart flutter.

The awkward silence between them continued, neither one knowing what to say afterwards. But soon enough, there was a voice that filled the empty church once again.

"Zack… I know it might be wrong to ask. But, what happened all those years ago? Please… I just need to know. I know you told me some of it before, but I have a feeling there is more to it. I can see it in your eyes."

There it was. He had a feeling that would come up, but he was hoping to avoid it. To avoid thinking back on everything, on what was done to him… to Cloud. He had been so vague beforehand on telling Aerith what it was that had happened, but that was mainly to save himself the trouble of thinking about it again. But it was too late. Flashes of the past raced through his mind as he stood there, eyes fluttering as if watching a movie reel on rewind.

"_No…"_

He never felt the tears form in his eyes, or when they started to fall down his cheek. Even his legs starting to rattle was something he was numb to, as he was lost in the furrows of his own mind. He couldn't even think straight anymore, everything was so foggy and cloudy.

With a loud thump, he dropped to the floor on his knees.

"Zack!"

Aerith's cry wasn't heard though, but she rushed over to the former SOLDIER without a second thought. She was normally more calm, but with her emotions in flux, it was harder than she was used to. But she then thought back to all those years ago. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she leaned against his back, laying her head on his shoulder.

She began to cry too.

Zack soon enough could start to hear some sound coming back, his ears ringing loudly like a bomb had gone off. His vision started to come back and he tried to look to see where he was. "_Wait, are these… tears? And why am I on the ground. And my neck feels heavier. Wait, who's…?"_

A peripheral glance back told him what he needed to know. And once he heard the slight whimper coming from behind him, his heart sank. He didn't want her to cry, but in a way he could understand. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't even find the strength to try and stand. He lowered his head in his hands and just let his emotions take over as the two of them sat in an embrace.

"A-Aerith… I'm sorry…" he whispered, his voice weak and unstable. "I shouldn't have…"

"No Zack. You gotta stop hiding like this. Can't you see how much it's hurting you to store it all away like this?"

"But I shouldn't. I'm hurting you because I'm weak like this," Zack replied, still unable to find his solid voice again.

"Zack!" Aerith shouted. Moving to sit in front of him she held him tightly by his shoulders. "Stop thinking you are weak for showing emotions. That's what makes you human! You need to think… you gotta let yourself be open. Please…"

"But I… how can I…" Zack whispered. He felt so uncertain how he was to handle all of this. How could he manage such things and still be fine and fit to fight?

"You can, just by being open. Just tell me what's going on Zack," Aerith spoke gently like she always did. Soft music to Zack's ears that would usually help to calm him down. He knew that she was trying her best to get through, but he feared what she would think when he spoke the truth.

"Well I -" he stopped mid-thought.

Should he really tell her? That thought surged and caused conflict internally. He wanted to say what really happened. But, some force was holding him back.

"I don't know..." he finished as he hung his head.

"Zack…" Aerith sighed deeply. She placed a hand on Zack's face and tilted her head towards his. "Your eyes are filled with so much sorrow. You're carrying a big burden… but it's okay to share that with others. Don't let it break you."

Her emerald eyes were filled with so much compassion, sorrow, and worry. He could easily tell. Though the color was the same as the mako. The same mako that was in him and Cloud. It was the same mako that made Cloud have issues. That made him do… that.

"I just try to not think about it," he spiked through gritted teeth. "It just sucks!" He finally burst out louder than intended.

Aerith flinched back. "Zack, you need to calm down!"

"How the hell am I supposed to calm down?! They did this to me and Cloud. Made him do..." he paused before going any further, trying to reign himself in.

Aerith could see that Zack's was shaking. Along with his angiered breaths his eyes were full of rage, yet at the same time anguish. The pain that was mixed into his eyes was still hard to notice but Aerith was not one to overlook things.

"Zack… what did they make him do?"

"They... he..." Zack gritted his teeth for a moment. "I don't want to have to remember it all."

Humming Aerith closed her eyes. She stroked his cheeks gently once more. "I'm sorry Zack. I wish I could help you more. But don't forget I am here if you want to talk about it."

Her caress felt like bliss, causing his face to heat up slightly. He almost smiled, but instead, Zack sighed heavily.

"I know you are and... I want to tell you. Just, not now. Maybe after it's all figured out. I still don't even know what to do..."

"Hmm I see. What I can say is don't give up. I know you're stronger than this. I'll be ready when you are."

"Thanks, Aerith," he simply said.

He turned his face to look back at her. Somehow, seeing her warm look was able to calm him slightly. "You always did know just what to say."

"I still do," Aerith replied sweetly. "Promise me that you'll take care of yourself, okay?"

Normally, Zack would throw a smile her way so she'd know not to worry. But he knew it would be no use now.

"I'll do my best, okay? You know me after all, always fighting through," he finished with a half-hearted chuckle.

"That's good! I know your heart is always strong. So..." Aerith paused for a moment. "Does this mean you'll be heading off? It's getting late after all."

"I guess so," he said as he looked up at the hole in the roof to see the darkening sky. That was how he met her all those years ago. It brought back so many memories as he stood there.

Without looking away from it he spoke to her. "You know, this was where I fell for you. Fell hard too." A small grin halfway graced his face.

Aerith laughed lightly. "Yeah I can't forget that. That was quite a day…"

"Yeah..." he said, scratching the back of his head. Not wanting to cause any more awkwardness, he shifted his sights towards the door. "Well, I'll be going now. It was… really good to see you, Aerith."

Aerith nodded. "Yeah, and Zack… please be safe. I know you didn't say anything, but I have a feeling you are going to head into trouble. So please be careful."

"I will be. You take care too. I can visit every now and then, if you want," he stated simply.

Aerith started to respond, a slight pause in her voice at first. "Y-Yeah, sure. I'm fine with that."

Attempting a half smile back at her, he turned around and walked towards the door. "All right, see you around then, Aerith," he finished as he raised his hand in a waving motion back at her.

Once he was out of the church, he exhaled loudly, something he had been holding in for a while. He could have his thoughts to himself again on the way back to Sector 7. _"Still awkward? Check. When I said the price of freedom was steep, I didn't know this would be what it meant. Guess I'll be waiting a little while longer then…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone we know it's been a while but we finally returned with this new chapter! We had a bit of a writer's block but we were able to pull through in the end!!
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read and supported this story! It means so much to us!


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